“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20

My ministry at CityRise has allowed me to work at the intersection of pastoral ministry, organizational leadership, and communication. I have had the opportunity to lead staff and volunteers, collaborate across ministries and campuses, translate church vision into practical strategy, and help our church communicate the gospel both to our congregation and to the wider community.

Preaching and Teaching

For 10 years I taught the word of God twice a week to a group most people shake in their boots at the thought of: American teenagers. What I discovered was that when you set the bar high, students leapt to clear the theological bar I set in my teaching. I utilized expository teaching in both small group and large group settings, working through books of the Bible systematically to point out the wonders of God’s word as we walked through the text together.

Additionally, I found a need to spend time focusing in our subject matter for various series that would meet students right where they were at. My annual “Love, Sex, and Dating” series always drew a crowd, but years later, I still have former students mention to me how helpful our World Religions series was to shaping their world view. Most knew only the stereotypes and most outlandish parts of a few different world religions. By spending multiple weeks understanding major religions and addressing how the truth of the Bible reacts to and refutes the basic tenets of those faith traditions, teenagers found themselves more prepared to face the world after high school when many of them would encounter diverse beliefs for the first time.

In my current setting, I serve primarily as a relief preaching for our campus pastors, preaching about once every other month, and I typically preach at our campus that does not have a livestream, so many of my most recent sermons are unavailable online.

When given the opportunity, I cherish preparing God’s word to teach to others, and find that the Holy Spirit always works on me first as I study the Bible, preparing me to share with others how God is using that text to shape me, and inviting them to join me in applying God’s word to our lives.

I look forward to preaching more regularly one day, and will most likely focus on working through books of the Bible systematically, with occasional topical series that are relevant to the flock to whom I minister.

Team Leadership

Leading teams is crucial for ministry, and I thrive when I get to shepherd others in ministry. Something about equipping the saints fills me up in a way that I cannot explain. Recruiting team members who can’t see their potential, training them in the basics, walking with them in the work, and advocating on their behalf for what they need to be successful is an honor.

During my years as a student pastor, I led volunteer teams with as many as 30 adult leaders, whom I recruited, trained, and supported in the leadership of small group ministry. Implementing an annual application/renewal process and connecting one on one with the leaders regularly, I was able to provide accountability, check in on their spiritual health, problem solve regarding group leadership and dynamics, and build meaningful relationships with them.

At FBC Woodbridge, I partnered with the Children’s Minister to train and equip high school students as children’s small group leaders. By creating a weekly leadership worship and bible study for the high school students on Sunday nights, students were freed up and equipped them to serve as leaders for the small groups for our elementary students on Sunday mornings. With this new structure we added 20 high school students to the Sunday morning kids team, allowing the Children’s Ministry to shift from rooms full of 25 children with a couple of adults, to having one high school or adult leader for every 6 children.

Currently I directly supervise 3 full time employees, and manage a team of part time and full time live production professionals. Going to bat for them to get what they need to succeed, hearing their stories, providing a listening ear, and problem solving together has proven to be a meaningful part of my day to day job. One of my favorite things is having a team member share with me a difficult situation, and working together to come to a meaningful solution. It could be as simple as helping them re-word an email to better communicate their needs, or standing in the gap for them when facing a challenge that is beyond their pay grade to manage.

Pastoral Ministry

Throughout my time in ministry, meeting people in the hard and messy parts of life has brought me a great deal of meaning and purpose. Beyond teaching and creating opportunities to study the Bible, being a pastor is about loving people, walking alongside them in the ups and downs of life. Hospital visits, performing weddings and funerals, spending time with those requesting benevolence, counseling church members in crisis, praying with and for my church family, and finding the support and care people need beyond the church with trusted professionals is where the “rubber meets the road” of ministry.

Currently I serve as the Pastor on Call in rotation with the other pastors at my church, and one week every other month I manage all the hospital visits and benevolence requests for our three campuses. Recently the aging mother of one of our church members moved to a new assisted living home, and was feeling a bit of anxiety as she worked to settle in. The daughter reached out to request a pastoral visit, and I had the sweetest time meeting and visiting with her mom in her new room. It reminded me how simple ministry can be- visiting and talking is one of a myriad of ways we can be the hands and feet of Jesus.

In my work as a student pastor, I have had multiple opportunities to walk with church families through difficult times. What has most rewarding has been helping my adult volunteers learn how to manage these tricky situations. When a 16 year old confessed to her small group leader that she was pregnant, it was an honor to walk with the leader through the best way to traverse the situation. I encouaraged her to express her gratitude for this young girl trusting her, but instructed the leader to make it clear that the parents must know. I counseled the leader to offer to go with the girl to talk to her parents, but set a deadline. If the girl did not tell her parents herself by the deadline a couple of days later, the leader communicated that I would call her parents for her as this was the type of information that we cannot promise to keep secret, for the safety of all involved. Fortunately, the daughter worked up the courage, had a hard conversation, and several months later the family celebrated the birth of a new (albeit unexpected) beautiful addition to their family, and worked with the boyfriend and his family to establish a healthy path forward.

Vision, Communication & Strategy

Clear communication is an important part of healthy church leadership. Throughout my ministry, I have had the opportunity to help translate the mission, vision, and priorities of the church into communication that people can understand and respond to. My work has included collaborating with pastors and ministry leaders, leading communication initiatives, developing digital and media strategies, and helping our church think intentionally about how we communicate both with our congregation and with the broader community. Those experiences have taught me that church communication is about much more than promoting events or producing content. It is about creating clarity, building trust, reinforcing mission, and helping people understand where the church is going and how they can participate in what God is doing through it.

My church tackles large, multi-month campaigns in regards to giving and vision, while also communicating the week to week opportunities provided by our multiple ministries. In my work, I have crafted communication strategies for two capital campaigns, multiple missions fundraising efforts, and countless strategic outreach events which needed intentional strategies to bring people in from the community. Crafting vision for both the big and little things a church does is important, but communicating the vision and purpose of what our ministry leaders plan is vital for the effectiveness of the ministry opportunities they are working so hard to create.

In our multi-year effort to raise funds for building improvements and expanded outreach, it has fallen on me to lead the charge in creating content, determining the appropriate communication channels, and establishing the rhythm of touch points with our church family to clarify vision and solidify support for the plans the senior leadership have determined. Telling the story of why our leadership feels God’s calling to pursue a certain goal has stretched me to ponder what are the essential things everyone must know, and how to share those things in the most compelling way.