I was ordained and began my first pastorate in Traverse City; and in November I married my wife Ellen. In the years following, I have served widely diverse congregations in Michigan and Wisconsin.

The world is changing at breakneck speed, making this both a challenging and very exciting time to be a leader in the Church. It has been extremely helpful as a Pastor to continually study, especially in the areas of Biblical interpretation, and what it means to be a Christian in this new millennium.
There are two modern scholars/theologians whose work stands out for me; so much so that I feel they both provide us with fresh ways to experience our faith:

1. Tom (N.T.) Wright, New Testament Scholar and Bishop of Durham in the Church of England. He brings a new vigor to our lives not just as believers, but as modern day disciples called to stand against poverty and injustice, and to be stewards of our earth. (See http://www.ntwrightpage.com/.)
2.  René Girard, Professor Emeritus at Stanford University, who has articulated an understanding of human behavior and culture that is centered on the cross of Jesus Christ.

I regularly lead studies on the insightful books of N.T. Wright. And I find Girard’s work so central to the heart of the Gospel that I maintain a website heavily used by pastors and theologians from around the world: Girardian Reflections on the Lectionary.

God has recently opened my eyes to a stirring movement sweeping across Christian churches of all denominations referred to as the Emerging Church. Central to it is the renewed sense that Jesus’ call to us is not to save souls for a heavenly kingdom, but rather to be a part of renewing and fulfilling God’s whole creation here and now – living out our petition in the Lord’s prayer, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.” We are called to be part of God’s bringing in the kingdom here and now! You can read more about the Emerging Church at this website: www.emergentvillage.com and http://www.brianmclaren.net/.

Through all these years, nothing has been more challenging or rewarding to Ellen and I than the task of parenting. Just when the youngest of our three sons was past elementary school and the older two were beginning to look at colleges…when Ellen and I were beginning to entertain thoughts of a different kind of ‘freedom’…God laid a new plan in front of us. Taking a huge step in faith, in 2005 we grew our family through adoption and opened our hearts and home to our youngest two sons from Liberia, West Africa. That is the moment we truly felt the profound meaning in “Blessed to be a blessing.”
In 2006 I was called as Senior Pastor by Prince of Peace and feel privileged to be doing God’s work alongside such faith–filled and committed disciples:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us…run with perseverance the race that is set before us…
(Heb. 12:1)

Terri, is our secretary at Prince of Peace.  She hails from Michigan, but spent a number of her formative years being raised in a small town in South Dakota. Terri has been married for 28 years and has two children, a son, 21 and a daughter who is 23.  Terri originally attended school to become an Emergency Medical Technician, but did not remain in that field after her move back to Michigan.  She began her career as a church secretary at her home church, Greenwood Reformed in Kalamazoo, where she remained for eight years.  She moved on to become a paraprofessional for the Portage Public School in 1999