I am a committed Christian who was blessed to grow up in a strong supportive family in rural Iowa. I attended college in the northwest suburbs of Chicago in 1988 and have lived there since 1992 with my wife, Kay. We have 3 three grown children. Over the years, we have been involved in church, scouting, and community activities.

I am a 1992 graduate of Trinity College (now Trinity International University) in Bannockburn, Illinois, with a B.A. in Youth Ministry, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 1996 with a Master of Divinity (emphasis in Christian Education) and am currently a student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in the Doctor of Ministry program (concentration in Pastoral Ministries).

I worked in Physical Security for over 20 years, including 9 years when I served as the Director of Security. I worked in general maintenance from 2011 – 2014. I have worked in groundskeeping since 2014 and have served since as a Grounds Manager since 2019. Other jobs I have held over the years included food service cook and server, custodian, camp counselor, farmhand, and pulpit supply speaker.

I have been active in teaching and music ministry in the church for over 30 years and have been a guest speaker and provided pulpit supply at churches, youth meetings, and retreats. Also, I served as troop Chaplain for a local Boy Scout troop for nine years. I also served as a leader for a local Trail Life USA troop for five years. I currently serve as a hospital chapel service coordinator – including regular speaking and a pulpit supply speaker.

My primary ministry experience and my doctoral work have focused on preaching and teaching. I preach around 35 – 4o times a year. (Though this has not been the case during the pandemic as the hospital put volunteers on hold.) The areas of ministry for which I have a passion are building family and community involvement. I believe family is the foundational relationship system that God created. All other relationships are directly impacted by how we relate to our families. What is more, the family is the model of the relationship between God and his people. We are called the children of God, and He is our Father.

The community takes these relationships to the next level as we begin to move outside the family. I see the role of community in the lives of believers as three-fold: 1) between the members of the local church – It is only through the genuine relationship of a real community can we truly grow to be the family that we are called to be by God, 2) between churches – We need to see that our mission is common, to reach a world in need of Christ, and that we are not in competition with one another, but rather, should each use our strengths to accomplish the mission God has given us, and 3) with the outside surrounding community – No matter how much community we may have within if we do not step outside our walls and become part of the surrounding community we can never accomplish the mission God has called us to do.

My specialty areas are preaching, teaching, family ministry, youth ministry, public speaking, community service, community building, strategic planning, and emergency management. I have spoken on various subjects ranging from “What is an Evangelical?” to self-defense. My latest growth has been in the area of first-person narrative preaching. Here the speaker not only preaches in story form but becomes a player in the story.

I also have several years of musical training and experience, having minored in music. I studied voice professionally and have a passion for the hymns of the church. While I love the hymns, this does not mean that I am opposed to contemporary worship. I believe there is a place for both. I believe that whatever style of music you use to worship, the most important thing is to have music that contains solid biblical and theological truths.

If you would be interested in my speaking at your church or event, you may contact me through the information on the contact page.