Intern: 2007-2009
Where were you in your process of ministry development?
When I began my internship I was midway through my 4 year stint as an M.Div student with Covenant Theological Seminary. I had attended some church-planting field trips and an informal assessment by the time I began with the Northwest Church Planting Network in 2007.
My internship with the NWCPN was invaluable in terms of ministry experience and growth as an individual. Ministry-wise, I was given vital experiences interning at Greenlake Presbyterian where I learned polity, (very helpful as I came from a predominantly Black, Pentecostal tradition), pastoral care, gained preaching experience and leadership development under Michael Kelly. Additionally, I was able to learn how to budget for a church-plant, fundraise, and do basic demography work in the area my wife and I would ultimately plant in.
Personally, I grew as I was able to serve alongside godly men and women in the congregation, and on the Session of Greenlake in particular. I was not coddled, but challenged to be a leader and grow in my walk with Christ. The internships were rigorous, but also afforded sufficient time for solitude, reflection and study. Moreover, the eventual assessment as a married couple was immensely helpful, not just in determining my fitness as a planter, but looking at strengths and areas of growth in my marriage. Finally, I found the camaraderie so helpful as I was an intern with at least one other intern who was from the Northwest like me and it helped mitigate a lot of cultural shock and rigor of ministry. I am still friends with those brothers over a decade later.
Any highlights from your experience?
Probably the highlight for me would be a tie between warmth I felt from the congregation I interned with and some of the demography work I did over the course of 2.5 years. From my time as a guest on the Session, to performing skits for VBS, and simply being welcomed into the homes of believers–I truly was loved and encouraged to grow as a leader. Being from the Seattle area, I also found it life-giving to study the area the Lord was calling Foxy and I to, and to volunteer in meaningful ways in the neighborhood. I have fond memories interviewing pastors in the area, serving at a shelter and prayerfully studying the history, assets and places of pain in the community.
What are you doing now?
After my internships, I was honored and blessed to be ordained and serve as an elder with Green Lake Presbyterian (now Trinity Church Seattle), where my wife and I were commissioned to serve and plant in Seattle’s Central District neighborhood. After 6 years there, we had to close the church plant and the Network was there to support us after that painful season in our lives. The lessons and leadership development I received under the NWCPN helped me serve as a city leader with Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission and now aid me as an assistant pastor in the Presbytery with Grace Church Seattle in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.