Summary of Qualifications

• Over 20 years of ministry experience. Majority of ministry in churches with additional past experience in Christian camping and campus ministry. Extensive work in student ministries as well as involvement with leadership, small groups, worship, children, technology, and personal finance.
• People-centered. Polished interpersonal skills and relationship building abilities developed working with others both as a student ministries pastor and as a substitute teacher.
• Leadership, Administration, and Teaching as top spiritual gifts. Strongest ministry areas include teaching, discipleship, small groups, and leadership training.
• Effective oral and written communicator. Instructed all ages in a variety of settings including one-on-one, small groups, and large groups. Writer of both creative and informational/promotional materials.
• Team builder and team player. Provided leadership, direction and guidance for teams of adult volunteers on an ongoing basis. Enjoy working with others to achieve objectives.
• Lifelong learner. Avid reader in a wide variety of subject fields including business, marketing, leadership, ministry, theology, computers, entertainment, and finance. Ongoing ministry training through SonLife, Purpose Driven Youth Ministry, and various Willow Creek Association conferences including Arts, Promiseland Children's Ministry, Prevailing Church, Student Ministries, and Leadership Summits.

Professional Ministry Experience

ASSOCIATE PASTOR OF STUDENT MINISTRIES

• Pine City Evangelical Free Church/Journey North Church, Pine City, MN    2006-2008 
• Emmaus Church, Northfield, MN    2005-2006
  
• Trinity Evangelical Free Church, Ripon, WI     1992-2003

YOUTH MINISTRY INTERIM DIRECTOR

• Lakewood Evangelical Free Church, White Bear Lake, MN    1991-1992

SUBSTITUTE TEACHER

• Pine City Public Schools, Pine City, MN     2006-Present
• Northfield Public Schools, Northfield, MN    2005-2006
• Ripon Public Schools, Ripon, WI     2003-2004

MINISTRY INTERNSHIPS

• Bethel College, St. Paul, MN    1989-1991
• Hope Presbyterian Church, Richfield, MN    1988-1989
• Bethel Baptist Church, Bradenton, FL    1986

CHRISTIAN CAMPING MINISTRY

• Lake Lundgren Bible Camp, Pembine, WI     1990, 1991

TEACHING ASSISTANT IN NEW TESTAMENT

• King College, Bristol, TN    1985-1988

Education

MASTER OF DIVINITY

BACHELOR OF ARTS, BIBLE AND RELIGION     

King College, Bristol, TN 1992

Credentials

Ordination received from the Evangelical Free Church of America in 1998.

A brief biography

I first came to faith in Jesus at a very early age, primarily as a result of my parents' influence. It was my high school years that were more formative for me and during which time I recommitted myself to following Christ.

I grew up in Bradenton, Florida, and attended Bethel Baptist Church (BGC) during my junior and senior high years. It was during these years in youth group that I first began to sense God's call toward ministry. The biggest ministry influences were my youth pastor, Carey Olson, my parents - who also served as youth sponsors - and Greg Speck, a nationally known youth speaker/author/minister who spoke at a couple of my high school retreats and with whom I have developed a friendship over the years. 

After high school I attended King College, a small Presbyterian liberal arts college in Bristol, Tennessee. I initially considered a journalism or psychology major, but was captivated by my Bible classes. I worked part time in the computer lab at King (we had almost 10 computers students could use!) but my primary part-time job was as a teaching assistant for the New Testament professor, Dr. Gary Burge (and my senior year for Dr. Frank Thielman). My main responsibility was teaching the New Testament tutorial classes that were held twice a week in the evenings. This was my first teaching experience and kindled in me a love for teaching that continues to this day. I also received some experience preaching while providing bi-weekly pulpit supply at First Presbyterian Church in Church Hill, Tennessee.

After graduating from King with a major in Bible and Religion, I headed to Bethel Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, where I worked on my Master of Divinity degree. My experience at Bethel included internships at Hope Presbyterian Church in Richfield and at Bethel College (now University) with the Campus Ministries discipleship department under Dr. Sherry Bunge Mortensen. I also served for a year as an interim youth pastor at Lakewood Evangelical Free Church in White Bear Lake (now Rockpoint Church). I also spent two summers as a counselor at Lake Lundgren Bible Camp, in Pembine, Wisconsin.

My first full-time youth ministry position was at Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Ripon, Wisconsin, where I served as Director of Student Ministries for 12 years. While there I met and married Rosalie Wichman on October 29, 1994. Our two sons, Jordan and Jonah, were born the following two years. Rosalie has been a partner to me in  youth ministry since the beginning (we met when she joined our youth ministry team as an adult sponsor). She has served as a mentor, small group leader, sponsor, and administrative assistant over the years. Currently she is pursuing her passion for sewing by creating handmade doll clothes and other items for her new home business called Purple Pants Creations. In addition she enjoys her role as full-time mom to our two boys.

While in Ripon I also began to substitute teach part-time as a way to get to know students, faculty, and staff at the local schools. I have continued to substitute as a way to enhance my ministry to students as well as allowing me to further use my teaching gifts. 

Other highlights of my time in Ripon included the development of a mid-week children's program called Adventure Nite. This program utilized both students and adults to minister to elementary-age kids. We also implemented small groups for students, a youth worship band, a Sunday morning contemporary worship service for all ages, a monthly coffeehouse gathering time, and student leadership and service teams.

Following my ministry in Ripon, I served as Associate Pastor of Student Ministries at Emmaus Church in Northfield, Minnesota. While there we worked to implement discipleship groups, a student worship team, a student leadership team, and a summer Sunday morning Cafe and fellowship time for the entire church. I also led a group of students on a mission trip to Puerto Rico with the Youthworks student missions agency.

We later moved to Pine City, Minnesota, where I served for two years as the Associate Pastor of Student Ministries at Pine City Evangelical Free Church and the Journey North Church plant from PCEFC. While there, we developed student worship teams, small groups for both junior and senior high students, leadership teams, and held various service projects and special events, including a mission trip to Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Special events we have done with youth groups through the years include college visits to Bethel University and Northwestern Bible College, leadership training at Willow Creek's SHIFT conference and Leadership Summits, SonLife training, numerous service projects, paintball and laser tag events, See You at the Pole, lock-ins, retreats, and various trips to events like district and national student conferences, Planet Wisdom, Acquire the Fire, Noah's Ark waterpark, the Mall of America, ValleyFair, Cornerstone music festival, LiFest, Six Flags, Wild Mountain and others.