I was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, and nurtured by loving parents who taught me Christian values and ethics by the way they lived their lives. Grace, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, humility, faith, hope, and steadfast love—these are words that describe my mom and dad. I was baptized as an infant at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, but my family moved to First Presbyterian Church in Knoxville when I was 5 years old, and that is where my Christian faith took root.
I am a graduate of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, as are my parents, my siblings, and most of my cousins, so I am a mildly obnoxious Tennessee football, basketball, and baseball fan. After college I worked in medical sales for 8 ½ years, living in Indianapolis, Indiana, Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee. I first had thoughts of a call to ministry in high school and strongly considered a call as an undergraduate. During my later years in medical sales, my sense of call became stronger. At the age of 32 I began my studies at Columbia Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. It was there I met my wife whom I married after graduation. As newlyweds, we moved to Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina, near Charleston, where I served as a solo pastor of Rockville Presbyterian Church for over 5 years. It was during this time that my daughter and son were born. My next call was to Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church in Southern Pines, North Carolina, where I served as an associate pastor for 4 ½ years. My last installed pastorate was in Kingsport, Tennessee, where I served as Head of staff for 12 years. After 22 years of installed ministry, a sense of call to interim or transitional ministry began to grow. Over the last 5 years, I have led three churches through the transitional process, serving Swift Creek Presbyterian in Mosely, Virginia (west of Richmond), First Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Guilford Park Presbyterian in Greensboro, North Carolina.
While living in Kingsport, my wife became a registered nurse. Now that I am a traveling pastor, she is now a travel nurse serving in the Emergency Department. My son graduated from Appalachian State University and works as a sales representative for Merck Pharmaceutical. My daughter will graduate with a Master of Education from UNC Pembroke this summer and will begin teaching first grade next fall.