I come from a family of Christian ministers and missionaries who think of the church of Christ as our extended family. 

 

While I heard the same calling that my father and grandfather heard to serve the church, I chose to follow a different path.

 

I see the church of Christ as a "sacrament" given by God to be a life-giving force for grace and peace in every place where the church takes root and grows. As Jesus gave his body for the world, so we the church--the "body of Christ"--are given for the world in just the same way. 

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For that reason, I have always been drawn through the local church of Christ and toward the community where the Spirit of God plants it. Therefore, I focused my career on communities themselves, mostly by leading nonprofit organizations that meet urgent community needs.

 

After earning business degrees at Rochester University and Harding University, I directed fundraising, marketing, programs, and public relations for many years at the Detroit Historical Society, Habitat for Humanity, and Rochester University. In 2013, I started my own consulting and project management firm, working with big and small clients in the education, government, and nonprofit sectors. In 2015, I earned the executive certificate in social impact strategy from the School of Public Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2017, I became executive director for Voices for Earth Justice, a faith-based environmental justice organization in Detroit, Michigan. In 2021, I won my first public election to serve as vice chair of the Clawson (Michigan) City Charter Commission in the city where my family and I live.

 

These days, I am a graduate student in Rochester University's Master of Religious Education program, host and producer of The Christian Chronicle Podcast, and recently a senior development officer at Rochester University. 

 

Although I chose a career in nonprofit management and public service, service to the church of Christ remains a focus of my life. My family has been active in our membership at Rochester Church of Christ (Rochester Hills, Michigan) since 2008. During that time, I've also preached and taught at dozens of congregations in several states. As a habit, I try to "fill the pulpit" at a small congregation at least once a month.

 

My family is what I cherish the most in life and is my ministry priority. Tracy (Smith) gave me the great honor and pleasure of becoming my wife on October 3, 2008. On September 24, 2012, we were so happy to welcome our beloved son, Daniel. We are growing in life and love together in Clawson, a suburb of Detroit.