Languages | Education | Training | Ministry History | Questions

LANGUAGES

English

EDUCATION

School

Degree

End (mm/yy)

Asbury University

BA

1984

Asbury Theological Seminary

Master of Divinity

1988

TRAINING

Course

End (mm/yy)

Meta Camp Disciple Making Training

2018

E3 Partners Disciple Making Training

2008, 2010, 2012

Zume Multiplicative Discipleship Training

2021

CERTIFICATIONS

Certification

End (mm/yy)

Elder in the Global Methodist Church

05/2023

MINISTRY HISTORY

Church/Organization

Position

Begin (mm/yy)

Cynthiana First United Methodist Church

Associate Pastor

1985-1989

Tuscumbia First United Methodist,

Associate Pastor

1989-1991

Chase Valley Church, church plant

Founding, Senior Pastor

1991-2007

Christ Church Birmingham

Senior Pastor

2007-2021

Christ Methodist Church Memphis

Senior Pastor

2022 - present

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS

Denman Evangelism Award – Awarded by the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. This award was given for outstanding achievement in evangelism related to reaching new persons for Christ and leading the local church in exponential growth.

Planted a new church in the United States with weekly worship attendance exceeding 400 made up of members with an average age of 33.

Have led church plant teams for 25 years that have resulted in hundreds of new churches in Asia; primarily among unreached people groups. These initiatives have resulted in thousands of first-generation believers out of Islam, Hinduism, animism, and atheism.

Facilitated the calling forth of a team that formed the East Lake Initiative, a 501c3 Gospel-Centered Community Development Corporation that mobilizes ministry to the poor in inner-city Birmingham while serving as Senior Pastor of Christ Church Birmingham.

Co-founded the Patricia B. Hammonds Homes of Hope, in conjunction with the Compassionate Hope Foundation, for children who have been sexually trafficked, or are vulnerable to being trafficked, in Thailand (Patricia B. Hammonds was my mother). The two homes collectively house approximately 150 children. The children are clothed, fed, educated, discipled, worship regularly, and can go to college or tech school.

Served on the Board of Directors for The Wellhouse, one of the leading human trafficking ministries in North America (2018-2022)

Served on the Board of Directors for New Water Farms, a working farm which hosts and sponsors ministry events, conferences, and workshops for the greater church (2025-2021).

Served on the North Alabama Conference Discipleship Team in the United Methodist Church. Offered equipping for local churches in intentional discipleship (2007-2010).

Was the Wesleyan Covenant Association leader for the North Alabama Conference before disaffiliations (2018-2022).

QUESTIONS

1. Gospel: What is the gospel?

Jesus Christ died for our sins. All who turn to him in faith, repenting of their sins, trusting in His perfect sacrifice at the cross, and confess Him as Savior and Lord are redeemed.

Out of love, God sent Jesus, fully God and fully man, to live a perfect, sinless life. He willingly died on the cross, taking upon Himself the weight of sin that humanity deserved. His death satisfied God’s justice, and His resurrection from the dead demonstrated His victory over sin and death.

The Gospel invites all people to respond with repentance—turning away from sin—and faith—trusting in Jesus alone for salvation. This is not earned by good works but received as a gift of grace (Ephesians 2:1-9). Through faith, a person is forgiven, reconciled to God, and given new life both now and eternally.

2. Trinity: How would you articulate the doctrine of the Trinity and why it matters?

There is one God who eternally exists as three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are not 3 gods, nor are they merely different modes or roles of one Person. Rather, each Person is fully & equally God, sharing the same divine nature, yet personally distinct from one another. God is Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, distinct but inseparable, eternally one in essence and power.

The Trinity shows that God is relational in His being—love is not something God began to do; it is who He eternally is. Second, our understanding of the Trinity shapes our understanding of salvation: the Father plans redemption, the Son carries it out through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension and the Holy Spirit applies it to believers. Third, the Trinity informs prayer and worship, as Christians pray to the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. Jesus: In what sense did Jesus die for our sins, and how does it impact your understanding of the Church’s mission?

The NT affirms that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3). He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 2:2). He is our substitutionary atonement for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Through His death & resurrection, Jesus defeats the powers of sin, death, & evil, liberating humanity from their grip. The cross reveals God’s love, calling people to repentance & a new way of life shaped by holiness & a heart for Jesus & His mission.

If Jesus truly dealt with sin and offers reconciliation for all of humanity to God, then the Church is sent to announce and embody that reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-20). Its mission is not merely moral instruction or social improvement, but proclamation of the Gospel—calling people to repentance & faith—while also living as a community that reflects the cross: humble, forgiving, just, sacrificial, and holy.

4. Holy Spirit: How does the ministry of the Holy Spirit relate to your understanding of the Church?

The Holy Spirit gives new birth & incorporation into the Church (John 3:3). Through the Spirit, individuals are united to Jesus Christ and, therefore, to one another (1 Corinthians 12). The Church is fundamentally a Spirit-created community, not something we build (Matthew 16:18).

The Spirit provides presence & power (Acts 1:8). Jesus promised the Spirit would dwell with & within His people. The Spirit empowers believers for worship, witness, and mission, enabling them to live out what they could never carry out on their own.

The Spirit distributes gifts for the common good. This shapes the Church as a participatory community where every member has a role in its health and mission (1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:11-13, Romans 12:6-8).

The Spirit produces unity & holiness. He forms Christlike character—love, joy, peace, and other fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

The Spirit guides the Church into truth & mission, illuminating Scripture, directing decisions, and sending believers outward. (John 16:13).

5. Sanctification: Do you affirm the doctrine of entire sanctification, and how would you explain it to someone who has not encountered it before?

I affirm the doctrine of sanctification.

If becoming a Christian is like being adopted into a new family, sanctification is learning to live like a member of that family. Your identity changes instantly, but your habits, thoughts, & behaviors take time to undergo development.

With someone who has not encountered the term before, I would say, “Sanctification is to become like Jesus Christ.” Sanctification is the process of becoming more like God intended you to be as it relates to your character, your purpose, and His mission through your life. To grow in Christlikeness is to grow in holiness.

Sanctification is not self-improvement. Sanctification is a partnership: God works within a person—through the Holy Spirit—to transform them from the inside out, into the restored image of Christ.

6. Holiness: How do you understand holiness as it relates to human flourishing?

The Christian vision of holiness is not primarily about rule-following but about participation in God’s own life. Holiness is about the reordering of our relationships. Sin, by contrast, is a distortion of relationship — it promises flourishing but delivers fragmentation. Holiness restores what sin disorders: it reorients the self toward Christ and His love rather than self-centeredness, leading to flourishing in individuals, families, and relationships in general.

Human beings flourish when love lays down its life for the other, forgiveness absorbs harm rather than returning it, solidarity with the poor and suffering is fostered in our communities, and human beings are genuinely cared for — these are the contours of the holy life, and these qualities lead not to diminishment but to resurrection life and flourishing for the good of all of God’s creation.

7. Sacraments: What is your understanding of the Sacraments and their role in the life of the Church?

The sacraments of the church are a means of God’s grace. They consist of sacrament of baptism and the sacrament of holy communion. Central to Wesley’s sacramental theology is the category of means of grace — outward signs through which God genuinely conveys inward grace. Wesley defined a sacrament as “an outward sign of inward grace, and a means whereby we receive the same.” The sacraments are not merely memorials of what God has done, nor purely expressions of human faith. They are instruments — real channels through which the Holy Spirit works.

To neglect the means of grace is to neglect the some of the key channels through which God purposes to transform us. Therefore, the sacraments of the church should be a part of the regular practice of the life of the church.

8. Scripture: What is your understanding of scripture’s inspiration, authority, truthfulness, and sufficiency?

Inspiration: the Bible is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), meaning its human authors wrote under the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that what they wrote is truly God’s Word. I hold to the inspiration & authority of Scripture as it relates to all that it affirms related to faith.

Authority: because it is God’s Word, Scripture stands as the final and binding authority for faith & practice.

Third, truthfulness: Scripture is wholly trustworthy and without error in all it affirms, revealing God’s character, His redemptive plan, and His will for humanity.

Finally, sufficiency: the Bible contains everything necessary for knowing God, salvation through Jesus Christ, and living a life that pleases Him. While not exhaustive on every subject, it provides all that is needed for doctrine, correction, and spiritual growth, equipping believers to faithfully follow Christ in every area of life, and for growth in holiness.

9. Human Sexuality: What is your understanding of human sexuality expressed in terms of human flourishing?

The Scriptures affirm covenant relationship between God & Israel — & Christ & the Church — as a framework for understanding human sexuality. Hosea, Ezekiel, Song of Solomon, & supremely Eph. 5 all draw on this analogy.

Sexual union is not merely biological but covenantal - it is an enactment of total self-giving commitment in marriage. The permanence, exclusivity, & fruitfulness of marriage are not arbitrary laws but icons of the covenant of faithfulness of God. Thus, sexual unfaithfulness is not just a personal failing but a kind of disorder — it distorts the sign that points to divine, covenantal love.

Sexual activity is never only physical in the biblical view. The “1 flesh” language implies a physical, spiritual, & covenantal union. The covenantal framework insists that the other person’s full personhood is to be honored. Sexuality ordered toward potential fruitfulness connects the couple to something larger than themselves — to children, family, & community.

10. Human Beings: How does the biblical vision of human beings made in the image of God form your attitude toward the dignity of human life at every stage from conception to death?

Human beings are created in the image of God. Often referred to as the imago Dei, human beings are image bearers of their Creator, having mind, body, emotions, and spirit. Because every human being — regardless of age, capacity, productivity, or social utility — bears the image of God.

The unborn child, still forming in the womb, bears the image of God — Psalm 139 speaks of being “knit together” by God before birth, & Jeremiah & Paul both describe divine calling from the womb. The infant, the person with profound disability, the elderly person lost to dementia — none have forfeited their dignity by losing capacity or productivity.

This vision stands against every culture that assigns human worth from the perspective of fallen culture — whether through abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, or the neglect of the aged and vulnerable.

11. Wesleyan/Methodist Contribution: What is the Wesleyan/Methodist contribution to the Church universal?

Wesley’s doctrine of entire sanctification — the possibility of the heart being so filled with love for God and neighbor that sin no longer reigns — insists that salvation is not merely forensic declaration but real transformation.

• The Holiness Movement and eventually Pentecostalism, representing dozens of denominational expressions.

• The conviction that grace transforms not only individuals but communities & structures.

• The class meeting. Wesley was a forerunner that set the path for small group ministry two centuries before they were common. Wesley’s insistence that “there is no holiness but social holiness” is still revolutionary for the greater Body of Christ.

Charles Wesley wrote over 6,000 hymns that are utilized by the church all over the world

The Wesleyan gift to the Church universal insists that God’s grace is sufficient not only to forgive but to renew both persons and cultures.

12. Global Methodist Church: What is your vision for the GMC?

My greatest hope for the Global Methodist Church is for us to become a movement. The word “movement” is contained in the BDD no less than 9 times.

True movements multiply disciples & multiply churches. Informed missiologists affirm that Christian movements multiply disciples and/or churches to the fourth generation or more. Thus, to be a movement, we need to revitalize local churches, equip in best practices related to multiplicative disciple-making, and plant new churches that embrace patterns of making disciples who make disciples.

Becoming a movement must also include sensitivities and adaptabilities related to the unique cultural characteristics of each region of the GMC found throughout the world.

13. Evangelism: What is evangelism and how have you practiced it effectively in your ministry?

Evangelism is leading people to a saving knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ through His Gospel. It is not by works, but through faith by grace in the person of Jesus Christ. Wesley told his pastors, “You have nothing to do but save souls.” I have practiced and taught the following:

3 Circles Training: A simple method of sharing the Gospel on the back of a napkin with simple illustrations & truths that convey God’s love through His Gospel.

4 Fields Training: Equips the church in a practical methodology by listing 100 people you know who are semi-active or not active in church, and engaging them in Gospel conversations.

Training the church in spiritual conversations: Asking waiters, work associates, people we meet, “How can I pray for you?” Taking time to pray for them opens spiritual conversations which may lead to persons coming home to Christ.

14. Discipleship: What is a disciple, and how have you effectively made disciples in your ministry?

While the BDD has a definition of “discipleship” for which I am in agreement, I would summarize the meaning of the word “disciple” as a person who is a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ who spreads scriptural holiness across the globe. A disciple loves and obeys Jesus.

I have always designed specific pathways for the development of disciples through small group gatherings, through multiplicative discipleship groups, bands, Sunday Schools & more.

As I have led churches, these intentional discipleship practices have not only been focused on “making disciples” in the local church, but also unto “making disciples” among the unreached people groups of the earth that are in our cities in North America, as well as UPG’s living in the 10/40 window. Through these efforts, thousands of people have been reached with the Gospel and have grown as disciples as new churches have been established primarily among unreached people groups.

15. Local Engagement: How have you led congregations to engage their local contexts with the gospel?

In 1991, I planted a new church. I went door to door sharing the Gospel. The church grew to an AVA of over 400 per week, primarily from persons making a 1st-time POF. The average age was 33 years old.

In 2007, I began serving as Senior Pastor of Christ Church Birmingham. CCB was a revitalization work consisting of developing biblically centered mission & goals related to discipleship, global mission, & serving the poor. The church converted a gym into a worship center & launched 2 new services. Equipping in best practices related to sharing faith were a part of regular rhythms thru conferences & trainings. At one time, CCB was one of the fastest growing congregations in the Conference.

Today, I lead Christ Church Memphis as Senior Pastor. We have trained in sharing faith through the “Three circles method” & through “Four Fields Training.” Worship attendance has increased consistently for the last 3 years.

16. Unreached People Groups: How do you understand the mission of the GMC in relation to unreached and unengaged people groups?

2-3 billion people on earth have little or no access to the Gospel. 80% of Muslims will grow up & never know a Christian. There r between 6,000 & 7,000 unreached people groups on earth. Scripture depicts God’s goal through the arc of history: Every tribe & nation (ethnicity) worshiping at the throne of God (Rev. 7:9).

The originating pulses of Methodism emphasized reaching UPG's thru the initiatives of Thomas Coke. As a 1st-generation Methodist, Coke wrote his pamphlet on reaching UPG's (a term he did not use, but an emphasis he lived) 6 yrs before William Carey, the father of modern missions, wrote his. Placing a emphasis on reaching UPG's not only reflects faithfulness to the commands of Christ but also reflects faithfulness to our originating impulses as Methodist.

I wrote an entire chapter in the book, Reconstructing Methodism, on the need to rekindle our commitment to reaching UPG's as the GMC.

17. Global Missions: What is the local church’s role in global missions? How will you equip local churches for that role?

As theologian John Stott once said, “We must be global Christians because we serve a global God.” It is the responsibility of every local church to take part in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-19, Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:46-49, John 20:19-23, Acts 1:8) by sending, supporting, or praying.

I have equipped the local church in setting goals & supporting missionaries in reaching UPG's around the world. I have equipped & led teams from the local church to share their faith, engage in discipleship, & plant new churches among UPG's in the 10/40 window for over 20 years. This has resulted in 10s of thousands of 1st-generation believers out of Hinduism, animism, & Islam; & has resulted in thousands of new church plants.

If the Body of Christ were to call me forth to serve as an episcopal leader in the GMC, I would continue to equip local churches to live into reaching UPG’s & spreading scriptural holiness.

18. Christian Unity: What is your understanding of Christian unity? How will you lead the Church toward greater unity in Christ and the Spirit both within the GMC and in relation to other ecclesial bodies?

Christian unity is not based on uniformity but communion in truth and love and a shared participation in the life of the Triune God that expresses itself in visible fellowship, mutual accountability, and common mission.

Christian unity is grounded in Christ’s own prayer in John 17 — that his people would be one as the Father and Son are one. Within the Global Methodist Church, we must labor to cultivate a shared spiritual life through prayer, worship, and mutual submission. Leaders must model and live into charitable disagreement, forgiveness, guard against resentments, be intentional to talk with one another in gaining understanding, and thus labor to live into the Wesleyan vision of scriptural holiness.

Wesley’s vision of a catholic spirit remains viable and needed in an age of polarization — holding convictions firmly while extending genuine fellowship across confessional boundaries wherever the apostolic faith is shared.

19. Bishop's Work: What is your understanding of the work of a bishop?

The first work of a Bishop is to embody the mission & vision of the GMC. A Bishop must live into, propagate, inspire, teach, & equip for the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ and spreading scriptural holiness across the globe.

It is the responsibility of a GMC Bishop to equip the saints through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, to multiply disciples of Jesus Christ throughout the earth who flourish in scriptural holiness as we worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly.

A Bishop lives into and equips others for the fulfillment of our mission and vision. A Bishop guards the doctrine of the church, shepherds the hearts of our people, and gives theological guidance, while seeking to lead the church to move to new heights in manifesting the Kingdom of God across the globe.

20. Your Qualifications: What qualifies you for the office of bishop?

I have 43 years of experience in ministry. I have planted a church in America. I have been a part of church plant teams in Asia for the past 25 years in connection w/a disciple making & church plant movement. I have also led churches thru processes of revitalization & renewal via establishing clear mission, vision, core values, goals, accountability structures, rhythms of corporate prayer, intentional discipleship, & church planting. I have served smaller churches via our 1st church plant w/seven staff members, a medium sized multi-staff church via Christ Church Birmingham, and a large church via Christ Methodist Church of Memphis with a total staff of ninety-two.

I presently serve on the Connectional Council & serve as the Vice-Chair of Kingdom Advancement. I serve on the Strategic Planning Team of the GMC. I also serve on the CCC of the Mississippi-West Tennessee Conference & lead the Mississippi West Tn delegation to GC in Johannesburg.

21. Assembly of Bishops: What do you see as the role of the Assembly of Bishops?

The Assembly of Bishop should serve to collectively guard the doctrine of the church, strategically highlight “best practices” and resources that advance discipleship and mission through local churches, give a united and prophetic voice in times of crisis, engage in Wesley’s “catholic spirit” through ecumenical initiatives and dialogs, and serve as visionary leaders for the denomination. The Assembly of Bishops should lead in doing what is necessary to develop pipelines of future leaders and should labor to organize the Global Methodist Church to become a multiplicative movement of disciple-making and church planting on a global scale.

22. Fellow Bishops: How do you envision working together with fellow bishops?

Bishops should work together in the articulation of shared theological vision, coordinated mission, aligning evangelistic, church planting, and justice initiatives across episcopal areas so that the GMC moves with coherent directional energy rather than fragmented effort. This must also be done with cultural sensitivities, in that “best practices” will vary in each unique cultural setting.

Bishops must speak with a common voice on matters of theological and moral significance, demonstrating that episcopal leadership is trustworthy and coherent.

It is essential that Bishops speak honestly with one another before speaking past one another publicly. Disagreements discerned and resolved within the assembly strengthen the whole Church. Submitting to one another’s scrutiny, counsel, and correction helps the entire church. Episcopal authority without accountability and “wisdom in the abundance of counsel” (Proverbs 11:14) sets the church up for distortion rather than wise counsel and clarity.

23. Conference Superintendents: How do you envision working together with and supervising conference superintendents?

Bishops and conference superintendents share a collegial and missional relationship. Superintendents exercise delegated episcopal oversight within specific conference contexts, remaining accountable to the bishop who bears ultimate responsibility for conference health and missional fruitfulness.

Working together requires shared vision — bishops must form superintendents around common theological and missional convictions through regular substantive gatherings of prayer, discernment, and strategic planning together.

Bishops must pastor their superintendents, not merely supervise them. Superintendents carry enormous weight caring for clergy and congregations and need genuine spiritual support and honest feedback.

Regular performance conversations, honest assessment of conference health, and willingness to address failure directly and redemptively matter greatly. Accountability without relationship becomes punitive; relationship without accountability becomes mere friendship.

24. Handling Concerns: If laity or clergy bring concerns directly to you bypassing their presiding elders and/or conference superintendent, would you include the applicable conference superintendent and/or presiding elder in the conversation? If so, how would you empower your conference superintendents and/or presiding elders in the discussion?

I would do everything possible to prevent triangulation in this circumstance and seek to maintain the good order of the church.

First, I would ask the individual bringing me the concerns the following: “Have you shared this concern with your presiding elder or your conference superintendent?” If not, I would encourage them to do so. After giving them a season or specific time to share their concern with the CS or PE, I would get back with them to determine if they have done so.

If they did not choose to do so, and the concern was of the magnitude whereby it needs to be addressed, I would brief the presiding elder and/or the conference superintendent and encourage them to speak with the individual expressing the concern.

25. Laity Leadership: How do you envision incorporating laity into the leadership of the church and into your leadership team?

First, let us affirm and call forth the “priesthood of all believers.” Ordained leadership exists not to replace lay ministry but to equip and release it — Ephesians 4 affirms that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers exist to equip the saints for works of ministry.

A bishop or superintendent who surrounds themselves only with clergy creates an echo chamber and loses the grounded wisdom that faithful lay leaders carry. A genuinely effective episcopal leadership team should include lay persons representing a variety of ages, ethnicities, areas of expertise, and include both females and males.

26. GMC Challenges: What do you see as the top three challenges facing the GMC today? How would you address them?

Revitalization of existing churches, which includes equipping in life-giving patterns of prayer, multiplicative discipleship, local and global missional expression, church planting and more. If churches plant churches in the GMC, then local churches need to be healthy enough to do so.

Adaptable ecclesiology and credentialling on a global scale. As a global church, continuing to grow while maintaining sensitivities to an adaptable ecclesiology and credentialing of pastors needs ongoing attention.

Racial diversity. While we thank God for the diversity we see in the Global Methodist Church on a global scale, the GMC in North America does not reflect that we are effective in reaching North American mission field made up of African American, Latino, Asian, and African populations.

27. Devotional Life: How would you characterize your devotional life?

I spend seasons in books of the Bible, combined with prayer & intercession. I typically get up at 5:30 a.m., shower, dress and eat breakfast. The next one to two hours are spent in Scripture reading a prayer. I pause and pray the Scriptures as I read. I am always seeking to read more for formation than I am for information.

I rotate methods: During certain seasons of the year, I will use The Lord’s Prayer as an outline for praying for family, for the church, and for ministry initiatives. At other times, I use the M.A.P.S. method: Memorize – Apply- Pray-Share.

I also lead a Men’s Discipleship Group (have been doing so for years). At the end of the year the 10 men in the group are required to start another group from people in their neighborhood, office, golf foursomes, or from other networks. This keeps disciple-making multiplicative and reproducing.

28. Theological Resources: What are the top five authors or theological resources to which you turn for research and learning and why?

Roger Olson: For his contrasts and clarity about the difference between Wesleyan Arminian theology and Calvinist theology.

Gordon Fee: For his theological work on the Person of the Holy Spirit in the writings of the Apostle Paul.

John Wesley: For his 52 standard sermons and more.

Tim Tennent: For his contribution on global Christianity, our responsibility to reach the nations for Christ, and for his unique ability to affirm the sovereignty of God in a Wesleyan framework.

William “Billy” Abraham: For his epistemological Wesleyan theological insights.

29. Failures: Describe one time you failed; what did you learn from that failure?

When I was in my early 30's &in our 1st church plant, I tended to lead without giving proper sensitivity to people giving input, pushback, reflection, & contribution. This created pain in the church & in my own leadership.

Fortunately, I learned from this mistake & learned the art of listening, giving people the opportunity to give pushback, & contribute their insights related to leading the local church. I began learning that collective wisdom in making decision is a gift from God. I also began to grow more prayerful, more dependent on God. This is the season in my life when I began to understand how God loves & uses a “broken and contrite heart”. In my brokenness & failure, God used it to teach me greater degrees of dependence & rest in Him. While I would never choose to walk through such a season, that season was a great gift in my life and ministry.

30. Leadership Style: How would you describe your leadership style?

My leadership style is rooted in being a servant of Christ, not “lording myself” over others, but seeking to serve others and serve the church.

Overall, my leadership style could be characterized as apostolic and missional — focused on multiplication, renewal, and bold gospel proclamation rather than maintenance of the status quo. I believe strongly that movements only make an impact in history when they have a strong identity and clear definitions of terms and expectations: Why? Because you cannot multiply what you do not clarify.

I do not see myself as a Senior Pastor only, but as a catalyst for church renewal, sensing a calling to help birth a new expression of Methodism and be part of a broader movement

31. Decision Making: Give an example of a time when you had to make a difficult decision as a leader and how you made that decision.

There are times when you may be one of the few that know all the facts, but it is in the best interest of people to guard facts because of the greater harm that would be caused if all the facts were known.

Years ago, one of our members got involved in an affair. Matthew 18 was applied in the situation & fortunately, the person repented.

A week later their name came up for a church leadership position thru nominations. I didn't share anything that might impugn the name of the person. I only shared 'they are navigating a personal issue at this time, & because of the matter they are navigating, this would not be an opportune year to bring them forth as a nominee for church leadership.'

Everyone did not understand, & there were persons who voiced disagreement. For a season, I navigated being misunderstood for the right reasons.

32. Confrontation: Give an example of a time when you had to confront an employee or colleague over behavior or beliefs contrary to those agreed upon and how you handled it.

While I do not like confrontation, I do choose to confront when necessary. I have managed a larger staff in leading the church for number of years and have had had to terminate persons from time to time.

The main confrontation I have had to navigate would be related to a staff person failing to fulfill their responsibilities as a team member. This always involves initial correction. If the initial corrective conversation does not solve the issue, then we proceed to a performance review in which the staff member recognizes they have specific expectations to meet over the next 60 days. If those expectations are not met in a satisfactory manner, the employee is terminated.

33. Teaching: What experience do you have in a teaching role? How has your teaching style evolved during your ministry?

One of my spiritual gifts is teaching. This gift has been used to feed the church on a weekly basis.

Early in ministry, I was more of a topical teacher. However, about 20 years ago I moved toward weekly expository teaching.

The catalyst in this decision was rooted in the change I saw in people when their hunger was awakened to feasting on a diet God’s Word. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Mt. 4:4). Expository preaching leads people through every known topic that plagues humanity: Pride, greed, outbursts of anger, lusts, gluttony, rivalry, jealousy, fear, anxiety, worry and more. Taking people through books of the Bible also rounds out the revelation of God’s character and our accountability to God with how we live our lives, and keeps us in tune with the mission of God.