In 2015 I announced that I was leaving parish ministry. Now, almost a decade later, I’m pleased to share that I’m returning.
On June 30, I’ll begin a new role as Interim Pastor at Advent Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Arlington, Texas.
Ministry Background
For those who may be reading this post as an introduction to me and/or to So What Faith (a blog I started back in 2009), some background information is helpful.
After earning an undergraduate degree in ministry and spending a few years in a variety of leadership positions for a state agency in Texas, I returned to school to attend seminary full-time. In the years since, I’ve held a number of ministry roles starting with consecutive roles in parish ministry in the Dallas – Fort Worth area of Texas and in Southwest Florida.
- While in seminary, I served First Presbyterian Church in Duncanville, Texas (a congregation affiliated with the PCUSA – the denomination in which I was raised, confirmed, and in which I discerned a call to vocational ministry).
- After graduating with a Master of Divinity degree, I served two Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) congregations in the Dallas area: Central Christian Church in Dallas and First Christian Church in Garland.
- During this time I went back to school for a Doctor of Ministry degree, which I completed while serving my first Lutheran (ELCA) congregation: King of Glory Lutheran Church in Dallas.
- Next, I returned to the Presbyterian (PCUSA) church in my first role in Florida at First Presbyterian Church in Naples.
- Then, I severed my first congregation affiliated with the United Church of Christ: Naples United Church of Christ. During this time, I also held multiple roles at Hodges University, including as an adjunct professor teaching religion courses. Additionally, I completed training in interim ministry.
- I moved on to my first roles as Interim Lead (or Senior) Pastor of two UCC congregations: United Church of Marco Island and Fort Myers Congregational United Church of Christ.
After serving these eight congregations, my family relocated back to the Dallas – Fort Worth area when my wife accepted a role at the University of North Texas. With this transition, I left parish ministry and found my way into other roles focused on making the world a better place for all people in healthcare and faith-based non-profit organizations.
- First, I worked for the only for profit company I have ever been employed by, which was part of Envision Healthcare. During that time in Dallas, I returned to school to study business.
- Next, I sought to integrate the best of what I had learned while completing a Master of Business Administration degree and working in a Fortune 500 company with my diverse ministry experience in my first role with a faith-based nonprofit at the Wesley Mission Center in Mansfield, Texas. While there, the organization rebranded to become Mansfield Mission Center. Also, during this time I completed the Adese Fellowship in Social Enterprise.
- Then, I returned to healthcare serving the American College of Emergency Physicians – located in Irving, Texas – before heading back to Mansfield Mission Center to help them integrate healthcare into their programming. During this period, I also served in a part-time role as Supply Pastor for West Fork Presbyterian Church in Grand Prairie.
- Finally, in June 2021, I accepted my current role, leading the White Rock Center of Hope in Dallas – a faith-based non-profit was founded by a group of theologically diverse yet geographically near congregations. During this time, I completed additional training in interim ministry through the Interim Ministry Network. I continue serving at Hope and will do so as I return to parish ministry.
Or, to summarize, my professional path to the present included serving 9 congregations, teaching religion to undergraduates for 8 years, assisting 3 organizations focused on providing quality healthcare to underserved populations, and leading 2 faith-based non-profit organizations. It has also included a variety of gigs as coach and consultant alongside a 15 year run (and counting!) as a blogger.
I am ordained in the United Church of Christ, but my ministry has always been larger than any one denomination.
Advent Lutheran Church
Advent Lutheran Church in Arlington, Texas is a congregation I’ve been aware of throughout my life. I’ve passed by the church campus thousands of times. However, I only recently started learning about the congregation’s rich history, the strength and breadth of its current ministry, and early efforts to begin discerning clarity about God’s preferred future.
While Advent will be the 10th congregation I’ll serve, it will be the first in my hometown. Arlington is more than the city where I was born and raised, it is the place I have lived longer than all other cities combined, and is where I currently reside.
Advent has been a part of this community since its founding in 1976. The congregation has been blessed by faithful long-term senior pastors, including Rev. Dr. Kevin Kanouse in the 1980s and 1990s and Rev. Joel Burkholder in the 2000s through 2024. Dr. Kanouse left Advent to become Bishop of the Northern Texas – Northern Louisiana Synod. After serving three terms in that role, Bishop Kanouse retired. After completing his ministry at Advent, Pastor Burkholder retired.
Currently, Advent gathers on Sundays for worship at 9:30 a.m. in English and at 12:00 p.m.in Spanish. The congregation is comprised of more than 400 people engaged in a wide variety of ministries within and beyond their campus. The congregation’s most visible outreach initiative is hosting a weekly food pantry each Monday at 6:30 p.m..
Over the next 12 months as Interim Pastor, I’ll be shepherding this congregation through a season of transition. Together we will complete the traditional interim tasks related to heritage, mission, leadership, connections, and future. And, we will prepare for all that is ahead.
And, since I’ll be engaged in this ministry on a part-time basis, I’ll be especially mindful of how I utilize my time and particularly grateful for the ways others will use their gifts for ministry, including existing and emerging lay and staff leaders.
So What?
I am excited to return to local church ministry and I’m thankful to do so in my hometown in a congregation with a rich history and a bright future.
I treasure your prayers and support now and throughout my time at Advent.
And, if you happen to be in or near Arlington, know that you are welcome to join Advent for worship and/or in service.
For more on Advent, check out their website and follow the congregation’s social media: Facebook and Instagram.
Words of Thanks
As one who comes to this new ministry opportunity with a limited background in the ELCA, I am especially thankful for my experiences in three congregations in Dallas that are part of the Northern Texas – Northern Louisiana Synod and for their clergy:
- It all started twenty years ago when I served King of Glory Lutheran Church. Pr. Jon Lee and Pr. Steve Sylvester welcomed and mentored me in my initial role then Pr. Terry Germann continued to nurture me as I moved into a more senior role following Pr. Lee’s retirement.
- After many years away, I was welcomed back when Pr. Pr. Veronika Czutor invited me to preach at Central Lutheran Church in 2023 (a congregation that played an important role in the formation of White Rock Center of Hope and that continues to be a strong supporter, including sharing space on an as needed basis) Additionally, I returned in 2024 as a guest pastor while Pr. Czutor was on vacation.
- Finally, I was invited by Pr. Mallory Morris to preach this year for Pentecost at First United Lutheran Church.