1) Where are you currently serving? Please share a bit about the work/ministry in which you are involved.
After serving with the Pension Fund of the Christian Church I am currently serving as Lead Pastor at Geist Christian Church in Indianapolis, a congregation of 2,000 members. My primary responsibility is casting vision, senior leadership, and preaching for the Promise Road campus.
2) What are some memories from time in the DLI program?
I still talk on a regular basis with people whom I met through my participation in DLI. They have proven to be invaluable colleagues and sources of wisdom in my professional life, and wonderful friendships in my personal life. DLI also further opened my eyes to the diversity of those serving the church and provided a lens through which to see many diverse paths to ministry and leadership.
3) What skills, experiences, and/or knowledge did you gain by participating in the DLI program?
DLI provided a post-seminary avenue for thinking theologically about issues in ministry and in the world. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of ministry and forget how to process what is happening through a theological lens. DLI gave me the opportunity to do this and provided skills to continue doing this in ministry. Many of the theological conversation partners I had in DLI are theological conversation partners to this day.
4) In what ways has this participation shaped your understanding of ministry and, in particular, what it means to be a leader?
Participation in DLI helped refine for me how leadership in ministry looks in comparison to leadership in other disciplines. There are too few avenues in the church that promote and teach leadership in ministry settings. DLI provided an additional experience that enabled me to learn certain things that I was not taught in seminary. It also was critical in providing me with a network of leaders that could be conversation partners.