Me / Bio

I’m a military kid, and with my father in nuclear submarines and then later an ordained PCA Navy Chaplain, I had moved 21 times by the time I was 21. I did most of high school in Japan.

My story is classic but real: me trying to ditch my parent’s faith in college, and discovering God’s grace is stronger than that. I graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign having swung between Computer Engineering and Economics, but actually having learned a ton about deep Christian discipleship and community.

I did Microsoft-certified consulting on human-interaction with technology for a year and a half, but realized Microsoft Windows probably wasn’t going to change lives as much as me focusing on gospel ministry. I raised a financial support team with GCM and became a campus missionary based in my former student church: I-Life.

In 2007, I moved to Chicago to complete a research degree in theology, communications, and culture—working under Paul Koptak and as a research assistant to Scot McKnight. I wrote this.

I recently served as the national Missionary Resources Director for Great Commission Ministries, working in ministry partnership with missional churches by mobilizing and training support-based missionaries.  I currently direct communications strategy and special projects under the Executive Director of GCM.

I enjoy teaching and training in the following areas:

  • intersection of information technology and theology
  • history of communications technologies
  • contextual theology
  • doctrine of scripture
  • future of social media
  • small group coaching
  • leadership development and coaching
  • organizational dynamics and communication
  • natural church development; indicators of a healthy church
  • branding communications
  • storytelling
  • fundraising skills and principles
  • donor communications
  • myers-briggs, temperament and small-group leadership
  • mentor discipleship
  • Christian sexuality
  • evangelism in a postmodern world
  • understanding the missional church
  • intentional communal neo-monastic living