Ecumenical at heart

Daughter of a Baptish mother and a Methodist father, I attended Episcopal school and Presbyterian Sunday School along the way. Born and raised in Virginia, I then lived in Maine for 25 years, where I joined a United Church of Christ congregation and discerned a call to ministry. I received my M.Div. from Andover Newton Theological School in 2002. My vocational journey includes serving as a United Church of Christ pastor, being part of the coaching team for NEXT Church (PCUSA), and co-founding a collective for clergywomen of many denominations.

In 2013, I moved to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where my wife, Kathryn Johnston, serves as a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA). We have four children, three daughters-in-love, three adored grandchildren, a darling chocolate lab, and three kitties. I'm a longtime knitter, a bread and cake baker, and an enthusiastic baseball fan.

Professional Experiences

Enneagram Practitioner (2020 - present)

In 2020, after 36 hours of training, I became an iEQ9 Integrative Enneagram Accredited Practitioner. Coaching individuals, groups, and teams in conversation with the Enneagram deepens both their self-understanding and mine.

Coach (2016 – present)

After attending coach training through Auburn Seminary in 2016, I received my ACC certification in 2017 and my PCC certification in 2021 with the International Coaching Federation. The PCC requires 500+ hours of coaching experience and 125 hours of coach specific education. Every three years, I complete at least 40 additional hours of continuing education to maintain my credentials.

Executive Director, RevGalBlogPals (2013 – 2020)

As a co-founder and later the Executive Director, I led a non-profit ecumenical ministry that offered support and resources to clergy. In 2015 RevGalBlogPals received the United Church of Christ’s Antoinette Brown Catalyst Award for providing a provocative space that advances women in ministry.

Local Church Pastor (2002 – 2016)

Before becoming a coach, I served United Church of Christ congregations of diverse size and situation, in Maine and Pennsylvania, as both a settled and intentional interim pastor. I continue to maintain my standing in the UCC.

Author/Editor

The Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle, editor. (Pilgrim Press, 2020)

Denial is My Spiritual Practice (and Other Failures of Faith), co-author with Rachel G. Hackenberg (Church Publishing, 2018)

There's a Woman in the Pulpit: Christian Clergywomen Share Their Hard Days, Holy Moments & the Healing Power of Humor, editor. (Skylight Paths, 2015)

A regular contributor to the United Church of Christ's Stillspeaking Daily Devotionals, I have also written for Upper Room's Disciplines, The Present Word, A Preacher's Guide to Lectionary Sermon Series, and The Christian Century's lectionary column.