Candidate 13 Profile

Section A. Background Information

10. Year of Ordination

1998

11. Denomination of Ordination

RCA

12. If not RCA, what classes or supervising body from the ordaining denomination recognizes your ordination?

13. Present denomination

RCA

14. Present classis or judicatory

Delaware-Raritan

15. If you are not now a member of the Reformed Church in America, can you, in good conscience, agree with the doctrine, discipline and government of the RCA?

Yes.

16. Do you support the mission and division of the Reformed Church in America?

Yes.

17. Citizen of what country? If not USA, do you have permit to live and work in the USA?

USA

18. Previous Experience

19. Formal Education

20. Continuing Education

21. Languages (list any languages, other than English, in which you can preach or converse fluently)

Section B. Reflection

1. Describe your strengths, the best of who you are, and what you bring in service to the church.

My strengths would include preaching, teaching, leadership, and administration. I am a pastor who is dedicated to being "Reformed and Reforming” with a passion to see the youth engaged and encouraged to participate in the life and ministry of the church. I strongly believe in visiting the members of the congregation, those who visit with us and I am active in the community through a variety of avenues (from participating at the local food bank, serving as a volunteer firefighter for more than 20 years, and more).

I am passionate about the RCA, and I bring a commitment to the continued work, ministry, and vision of the congregation in the larger context of the denomination. I have a deep respect for what has been accomplished and I am excited as God leads/encourages us to be "transformed and transforming". My service as the Stated Clerk for the Synod of the Mid-Atlantics has given me a deeper appreciation for the "behind the scenes" work of the denomination, particularly the work of lay leadership, ministers, and Classes. I wholeheartedly believe that as we strive together to bring the Gospel to all whom we meet, the church will continue to grow, thrive, and challenge us all.

I tend to be more "traditional" and liturgical in worship, but I welcome different ways to express our praise and thanksgiving to our gracious God. One of the greatest joys for me is reading, studying, and preaching God's Word and administering the Sacraments – all of these bring us closer to the presence of God.

2. Name two or three mentors who have significantly contributed to your ministry, and explain why these people are important to you.

Rev. Irving Decker served as Pastor of the Reformed Church of Highland Park when I was young. A cherished memory that I have of him is when he would spend time with the children. A memory that I have is when the church was hosting a dinner and Rev. Decker called the children over to his table. As we gathered, he placed a box on the table, brought out wind-up toys, began to wind them up, and released them on the table and across the floor. He didn't let the "look" from church members stop him from having this time with us and he just kept them going. Through this, Rev. Decker taught me, and continues to teach me, that the children of the church are vital, valuable, and need to be visible. I think about him often when I spend time with the youth in the church and honor their presence among us. I love to hear them laugh and fuss – this is our future!

Rev. Dennis Van Wyk served as the Stated Clerk of the Classis of New Brunswick and as Pastor of the Old Brick Reformed Church. I came under care of the Classis while a student at Hope College and this afforded me the wonderful opportunity to truly appreciate the relationships that I forged while under care. Rev. Van Wyk was an imposing man, but he was so tenderhearted. He showed me the importance of being honest with myself and my calling to serve the church. He encouraged to prayerfully consider God's leading as well as to be quiet and listen for God's voice. Also, he helped me to see the importance of the Classis and it's work with ministers and churches.

Rev. Frederick Mold taught RCA students about RCA Polity at New Brunswick Theological Seminary and served as the Stated Clerk of the Synod of the Mid-Atlantics. I credit Rev. Mold with deepening my passion for the RCA as well as the "Book of Church Order". When I graduated from the Seminary, I received the Rev. Frederick Mold, Jr. Award which is given to the RCA senior who exhibited excellence and competence in the field of RCA Polity or in Pastoral Administration. Rev. Mold would often tell me that I am a Stated Clerk at heart. Clearly his words bear some truth as I have served as Stated Clerk for the Classis of Delaware-Raritan and currently have the honor of serving as Stated Clerk of the Synod of the Mid-Atlantics, following Rev. Mold upon his retirement from the position. Rev. Mold was a man of character, strength, and dedication to God and the RCA. I am truly thankful that he was part of my ministry and service to the church.

3. What caused you to enter ministry, and what are the core values that define your vision for ministry?

I have faithful parents that raised me to respect the church, to value the members and friends of the church, and encouraged me to participate in the work and ministry of the church. When I was in the 3rd grade, I wanted to do two things: 1) become a minister in the RCA (yes, I would have to explain this because I attended Parochial School) and 2) to drive fire trucks. I am blessed to share that I have accomplished both in my life.

What really encouraged me to enter the ministry were the actions of one of the Interim Pastors at the Reformed Church of Highland Park during the time I was in Confirmation the Rev. John Hart. Two things that I remember from his time as the Interim Pastor was: 1) when the church asks you to do something, your only answer is, "yes" and 2) continually explore where and how God leads you. Once specific event that occurred during this time was when my father suffered a heart attack on Christmas Eve. My family was preparing to head over to the church for worship but ended up at the hospital instead. Rev. Hart arrived, during one of the most hectic days on the church calendar, to be with my family. He came to pray with us, comfort us, encourage us, and pastor us. It was at that moment that I felt the strongest pull to enter the ministry and I said yes" in both my head and my heart on that day.

The core values that shape my vision would include those of Rev. Hart: prayer, comfort, encouragement, and pastoring. However, I would certainly add compassion, leadership, and faithfulness to those core values as I have served Christ's Church and its people. As I pastor a church, all things begin and end with prayer because that is the way we come to God with thankful/grateful hearts, and it is in our prayers that we express our compassion for others which allows us to be comforting and encouraging. When others see the leadership of the church begin this way and encourage others to join the journey, a faithful people develop and begin to pastor to one another.

4. Explain the strategies or ideas that most excite you for helping a church to become and remain missional.

Each church has a different definition or understanding on what becoming or remaining missional means. My first strategic goal would be to develop a definition of "missional" and how it is understood in the consistory and congregation. Once this definition is accepted, it helps to focus the church on living it out.

For example, if being "missional" means to support a food pantry, then we have our base to build upon. Does this definition mean just providing food? Can it be expanded to clothing, personal care items, clothing, toys, or more? If it can be expanded, does the church have the necessary resources to expand that definition? If we do, then how are we able to effectively implement it? Once implemented, does the church just stop there or do we explore ways to expand more? Perhaps exploring services for the whole person and/or family? Maybe helping with job searches, education opportunities, financial assistance, and more.

However, this hinges on what the church is willing and prepared to do or provide. If we are only prepared to provide food items, then our missional focus is set, and once set we need to be active participants in providing these items on a consistent basis. In this whole process, we should be prepared to fail and more importantly, we need to be ready (and willing) to try again.

In my current congregation, I have been encouraging the congregation to take on "radical love". I encourage them to look beyond what we are normally doing and to take the next step. Jesus was willing to go out on a limb for the outcasts, the hurting, the lonely, and the unloved. Shouldn't the church be following that example? How can we be "radically loving" our neighbors, our community, and our world?

5. Name three of your most passionate hopes for the Church at large, and why they are significant to you.

First would be "Engaged". The Church needs to be engaged not only with its members and friends, but with the surrounding community and the world. For too long the Church has sat on the sidelines or simply offered funding, but the work of the Church needs to be among the people with whom we live, work, and socialize. Jesus was on the front lines, but we stay back in the barracks hoping someone else fills in. Jesus engaged people to discover God's love, mercy, and forgiveness, but the Church thinks that people will just come.

Second would be "Explore". The Church needs to explore all arenas of life and see how we can help, support, and encourage. It is so easy to glance at the news, switch radio stations, pass by newspapers, and surf websites, but what is that what the Church is called to do? We are called to be the "light that shines in the darkness". We cannot do that unless we are exploring and sharing that light.

Third would be "Transforming. For too long the Church has been happy with the "status quo" or "doing it the same way". Our Christian faith begs us to be about the work of transforming each person as we seek and do the ministry that we are called to perform. When we prayerfully and actively seek to do what our Lord Jesus is calling us to do, we will see a transformation in our lives and in the lives of those around us through our love, our support, and our encouragement.

Why are these three significant? As the RCA continues to participate in the work of "Transformed and Transforming*, it is important for each RCA congregation to look to see how and where they fit in the process. As we participate in each of these areas, we are not only actively participating in the shared denominational plan and process, but we are also actively participating in our shared ministry.

6. Give an example of how you would theologically address an issue facing your contemporary world. Please be thorough enough to help the reader to understand your thought processes and your life commitments.

Homosexuality and Racism are two issues facing our contemporary world and are two of the "hot button" issues in the Church. Currently, these issues are causing deep chasms within the RCA and fortifications have emerged on each side. Long debates, discussions, arguments, and fights have taken place and, sadly, there will be more to come. As a denomination, the RCA has skirted these issues several times by referring to different commissions for continued work and study. Reports or papers have been presented to various General Synods for adoption, approval, or for further work and study. Our Classes and Congregations are divided on the issues with some for, others against, and even more in the middle of the debates looking for ways to continue to work together amidst the differences and not wanting to join a side.

The contemporary world is no stranger to such divisions and has been watching the Church struggle. Christians are being called out by the contemporary world for lack of compassion, understanding, and for what they see as going against what it means to be the Church.

So, how do we address this theologically? First, we begin with prayer! We come before our gracious God and seek guidance, openness, and understanding. Then we turn to Scripture as we seek to hear God's voice. Then we begin a process of discussion and discernment.

As we enter the process of Biblical, theological, and group discernment, I would ask participants to adopt a stance of indifference to anything but the will of God as the group seeks to discover. I would ask the church to set aside matters of ego, politics, opinion, or personal interest. Our discernment would seek out more than simple agreement.

The goal of this discernment process would be to tap into the will and movement of the Holy Spirit. We would seek a sense of God's presence to settle over the group. Sometimes it is experienced more joyfully through a mutual sense of peace and rightness, or it may manifest as a corporate sense of freedom, goodness, wholeness, healing, and reconciliation.

Using the teaching of Susan Beaumont, we would learn that God is not neutral about our mission or our choices, God is self-disclosing, the Holy Spirit is our indwelling and ongoing guide, openness of spirit and attitude is required, and God's will is revealed in community. We would also use her process of framing the issue for discernment, grounding it in core values and guiding principles, shedding ego and biases, listening for the promptings of spirit, exploring our options, move toward selection, and testing the decision with rest. Finally, our tools would be consensus, prayer/silence, Scripture, listening circles, appreciative inquiry, storytelling, clearness, and consolation/desolation.

As you can see, I do not see this process of dealing with "hot button" issues as simple and I prefer to use a discernment process to equip the congregation to be transformed and to continue to be transforming.

7. What theologians, pastors, authors or other leaders have had the greatest influence upon your life and thought? (List up to 4 and explain.)

Jürgen Moltmann is a theologian and author that deeply shaped my own theology during my time in Seminary and he continues to challenge me. Moltmann's Theology of the Cross was truly a thought-provoking process as to how we come to know and understand God in our lives. His basic premise is that we really do not come to know God without first knowing Jesus. As I explain this concept to others, the process I use is to have them think back to Sunday School where most of us learned the words to a simple, but powerful, hymn, Jesus Loves Me. It is first through learning about Jesus – his love, his ministry, his death, and resurrection – that we build a foundation for our faith. Upon this foundation we build our knowledge about God, the Holy Spirit, the work of the church, and so on.

Pause for a moment and think about how you came to develop your understanding and knowledge of God. Did it just spring up from inside you that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and all powerful? Or did you come to know this because you learned about Jesus and his life? Think about that central symbol of our faith – the cross. A symbol of shame and glory. The cross of Jesus encourages us to deepen our exploration of faith and through that exploration come to understand God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is only by kneeling at the foot of the cross that we begin to understand the weight of that sacrifice and love that was poured out on our behalf.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a pastor, theologian, and author that influenced how I engage society's norms and values and bring a Christian response. He died in a concentration camp, hung just days before liberation, for his views, writings, and teachings that were contrary to the prevailing political system in Germany. Today, how many Christians would stand so fervently for their faith? Bonhoeffer sought to challenge both the church and the community. He was living on the fringe and calling Christians to be living and loving examples of Christ.

Martin Luther was a priest, theologian, and teacher that has greatly influenced me in how we, as part of the Protestant tradition, express our theology through our words and our actions. As a priest, Luther dedicated his ministry to faithful obedience to the Triune God and the work of the people in response to God's grace. As a theologian and teacher, he sought to "reform" the church and its understanding of what it means to be Christ's ambassadors. Never was it Luther's intention to begin a new denomination, but it was fully his intention to get the church to look inwardly, see God at work, and to be a driving force of grace in the world.

Dan Brown is a contemporary author and most famous for "Angels & Demons", "The DaVinci Code", and "Inferno". While I have read his works and enjoyed his fiction, I list him because of his ability to get people to talk. Remember the uproar caused by "The DaVinci Code"? From that uproar I was able to have some amazing conversations. Most Christian churches tried to go after the story and spent time dismantling it. I took the opportunity to engage in discussion about Jesus, the church, and the Christian life. How wonderful it would be if Christians really spent time reading and studying Scripture and bringing their questions and doubts to discuss together.

8. How do you hope someone influenced by your ministry would describe what s/he considers to be most important?

I would pray that they would describe my ministry as compassionate. I would hope the person would see my compassion for God's creation and children as most important. No longer are we the "church militant". No longer are we called to break the bow and shatter the spear. However, we are called to show compassion to one another, to those in our midst, to those not part of our faith tradition, to those who are different from us, and to the world that we share. How is this compassion expressed? Through our shared ministry, through our shared outreach, and through our shared vision.

9. Name at least one challenge for a pastor who accepts a Call to lead a church whose culture is other than his/her own.

One challenge is communication, and it is an important challenge. The ways that we communicate have changed greatly with the advent of computers, mobile phones, tablets, and social media. We no longer take the time to craft messages, but instead opt for a quick response via text messages or a thumb up. We no longer take into consideration how it might be read or understood by the other party.

The same is true with the church. The pastor and the church must be able to communicate thoroughly, honestly, and openly so that, together, they can work through concerns, issues, ideologies, and processes. If communication is limited, then effectiveness falters, along with trust and performance, on both sides. I have seen many churches and pastors become frustrated and angry with one another because communication is lacking on both sides. I have also seen churches and pastors flourish, along with their ministries, because communication was open, honest, and respectful.

10. Describe your vision and hopes for the Church over the next 5-10 years.

My vision and hopes for the church over the next 5-10 years is that we would be a faithful community in bearing witness to God's love and mercy, to be stewards of the church, to be transformed by the Holy Spirit into a loving community that seeks compassion for all of God's children, and to be active participants in the work and worship of the church. Over the next 5-10 years, I would hope that RCA congregations would be led by the Holy Spirit to explore their role in the community and to live it out. I would hope that the church would not only be a place of refuge, but a place where new ideas and practices are explored and experimented.

The world is constantly changing around us, and it is doing so at a quick pace. We often say that the church is like a ship that should be able to overcome the waves and ride the currents. However, most have dropped anchor and have become comfortable wherever they are, but then get upset or frustrated how everything is passing them by. Think of the changes that churches had to make in response to the pandemic and how to remain relevant. Those changes are only the beginning of what the church will continually have to make as we seek to be responsive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

11. If there is anything else you would like to add about yourself that you think would help a search team to better understand and consider you as their next pastor, please elaborate here.

I truly enjoy fellowship activities for members and friends of the church, but also activities that invite and welcome the public into our building and fellowship. I enjoy partnering with other churches and religious traditions to work together meeting the needs of our community as well as the opportunity to learn and grow with each other.

As the pandemic caused churches to close their doors, I started using my own supply of cameras, cords, microphones, and computers to make the switch over to virtual settings and we didn't miss a single worship or fellowship opportunity. I have grown very comfortable using technology for Sunday services, Bible Studies, Christian Education programs, fellowship gatherings, and meetings. Currently, the congregation I serve uses a hybrid model where we gather in-person and via technology on a system that was professionally installed and is operated by members of the congregation.

Personally, I enjoy reading, movies, Broadway shows, museums, and traveling. In 2020, I went to Kenya as part of a mission trip to teach pastors and church leaders in leadership techniques with East African Partnership. One of my joys is bringing the congregation on a trip to explore God's beautiful world and cultures. These trips have included people from different Reformed Churches as well as other Christian denominations and the most recent one was to Italy in 2015.