A Decade in the United Church of Christ (#1948)

While I’ve been associated with Mainline Protestant Christian congregations my entire life, I never experienced the United Church of Christ until 2010.

As a native Texan, I’m used to hearing folks say “I wasn’t born here, but I got here as fast as I could.” In many respects, that sentiment resonates with my spiritual journey and late arrival in the United Church of Christ.

Before the UCC

Prior to encountering the United Church of Christ I was

• Baptized, confirmed, and discerned a call to ministry in a Presbyterian (PCUSA) congregation
• Served a Presbyterian (PCUSA) congregation while in seminary
• Served two Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) congregations after graduating from seminary
• Served a Lutheran (ELCA) congregation while completing my Doctor of Ministry degree
• Served a Presbyterian (PCUSA) congregation

Initial Experience

My first experience of the United Church of Christ occurred during the first season in my adult life when I was not serving a local congregation as my primary professional pursuit. My partner and I visited Naples United Church of Christ for worship, and immediately felt at home. We received an incredibly warm and unexpectedly genuine welcome, appreciated the congregation’s progressive theology and deep engagement in the local community, were challenged by thought provoking preaching and inspired by its musical offerings, and decided to come back.

We started attending on a weekly basis, and shortly thereafter I got involved in the congregation’s educational ministries. Within a few months, we joined the congregation, I accepted a role on staff overseeing adult discipleship, and I entered the discernment process through the Florida Conference.

During my time on staff (2011-2015), I helped the congregation dramatically expand its educational offerings, and launch an annual lecture series that featured Marcus Borg, John Shelby Spong, and Diana Butler Bass. And, I learned a great deal about the denomination from a number of clergy, and through formal study, including the completion of a course in the denomination’s history, theology and polity.

Additional Experiences

After finding a home in the United Church of Christ, I sought to deepen my roots and expand my impact.

The first phase of this ongoing effort came in the form of interim pastoral ministry in local congregations.

• United Church of Marco Island (Marco Island, FL). I served this island congregation from 2013-2014 as Interim/Transitional Senior Pastor. My contributions included helping reconnect the congregation to the United Church of Christ, generating a shared sense of purpose during the interim season, and updating operational, human resources, and marketing processes, policies, and procedures.
• Fort Myers Congregational United Church of Christ (Fort Myers, FL). I served this Southwest Florida congregation in 2015 as Interim/Transitional Senior Pastor. My time included celebrating the arrival of marriage equality (which was realized in Florida in January, nearly six months before national equality was achieved), increasing innovation, and gathering congregational input to inform the search process for the next settled pastor.

The next phase of my experience shifted away from serving in pastoral ministry in local congregations to engaging in the broader work of creating a more just world for all people and for all of creation. This new phase began with continued education including a Master of Business Administration degree, and a fellowship in social enterprise.

• Adese Fellowship (Cleveland, OH). In 2018, I was honored to be chosen as a fellow in the inaugural cohort of a United Church of Christ fellowship in social enterprise. This year-long experience provided me with resources, coaching, and support to launch a social enterprise that now generates $1 million a year, which provides stable funding for a justice focused ecumenical non-profit. In 2020, I returned to Adese serving as a coach for two of the fellows in the second cohort.
• Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ (Dallas, TX). My partner and I first worshipped in this congregation in 2016, and joined a few months later. Originally affiliated with the MCC, the Cathedral opted to affiliate with the UCC in 2006 — arriving in the denomination some 36 years after being founded (or around the same age I was when I first became a part of the UCC). The congregation’s current mission is to reclaim Christianity as a faith of extravagant grace, radical inclusion and relentless compassion. And, to do so by living out its core values: compassion, liberation, inclusion, hope and Jesus.

So What?

While I found my way to the United Church of Christ in 2010, it was in 2011 that I realized it would be my long-term spiritual home.

The United Church of Christ has always been about unity (it is the rare American denomination that was created by merger rather than division), believed that God is still speaking, valued the contributions of all people, proclaimed the gospel, and sought justice and liberation for all.

A decade into this journey, I am thankful what has been and hopeful for what is to come. I’ll continue to first identify as a follower of the Way of Jesus. And, I’m happy to add to that identity my affiliation with the United Church of Christ.