Faculty and Administration

I have been part of the faculty at the College since 2005 in various capacities, although I became a member of the permanent faculty in 2010 after completing my PhD at McMaster Divinity College. My areas of specialization include the mission of the church, pastoral studies, Spirituality in ministry, and the church in culture.

Currently I also act as Director of the Doctor of Practical Theology Degree and am one of the co-directors of the McMaster Divinity College Center for Post-Christendom Studies.

Practical Ministry Experience:
I have served in pastoral ministry with the Christian and Missionary Alliance for 22 years as a lead pastor, youth pastor, associate pastor and associate teaching pastor. I continue to serve the denomination as a Minister at Large. I am very involved in my local church, Ancaster Village Church in Ancaster, Ontario.

Research Interests:
The Church in Postmodern, Post-Christian society
The Mission of the Church
Pastoral Practice in a 21st century context
Spirituality and the ministering person

Current Projects:
I am working on a book on forming congregations for mission in post-Christendom culture based on the prayer language of exile (selected Psalms, the book of Lamentations).

Lectures and Conference Papers:

Recent Presentations

The Language of Exile: Forming Congregations for Life in Post-Christendom. Canadian American Theological Association conference, University of Regina, Regina SK, May 27, 2018.

Darkness on the Edge of Town as a Turn to the Pastoral. Darkness on the Edge of Town: A Symposium on Bruce Springsteen and his Music, Monmouth University, Long Branch, New Jersey, Apr. 14, 2018.

Emerging Theology and its Impact of the Contemporary Church (with Dr. Steven Studebaker). Canadian American Theological Association conference, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, May 28, 2017.

Culture, Context and Constructing Theology for a Post-Christendom Context. Canadian Evangelical Theological Association Conference, University of Calgary, AB, May 29, 2016.

It Seems Good to the Spirit: The Authority of the Holy Spirit in the Mission of the Church. Participating in God’s Mission Conference, North Eastern Seminary, Rochester, N.Y., Mar. 19, 2016.

From Punks to Monks: Emerging Christianity in Canada (With Dr. Steven Studebaker). American Academy of Religion Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, Nov. 23, 2015.

Emerging Christianity and its Influence on Evangelical Theology (with Dr. Steven Studebaker). Evangelical Theological Society Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, Nov. 17, 2015.

Publications:

Recent Selected Publications

Books

The Church in Exile: Living in Hope After Christendom. Downers Grove: Intervarsity, 2015.

The Whole Gospel for the Whole World: Experiencing the Four-Fold Gospel Today. (with Dr. Franklin Pyles). Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2016.

Articles

“Flat World, Flat Leadership: The Theological and Philosophical Ideals that Form a Paradigm for Leadership in the 21^st Century.” (With Andrew Rutledge) The Journal of Religious Leadership. Vol. 18,1 (2019), 5-24.

“Bruce Springsteen as Post-Christian Pastor.” BOSS: The Journal of Springsteen Studies. 3, 1 (2018), no pages.

“The Gospel of John and Reclaiming Conversation in 21^st Century Evangelism.” (With Nicole A. Reid) Witness: The Journal for Evangelism in Theological Education. 31 (2017), no pages. http://journals.sfu.ca/witness/index.php/witness/article/view/20

“A Spirituality of Exile.” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care. 10:1 (2017), 33-50.

The Minister as Artist: Bruce Springsteen and Ministry Formation.” McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry. Volume 16 (2014-2015). 131-150.

“Friend or Foe?: The Role of the scholar in the Emerging Church.” (With Dr. Steve Studebaker) Theological Education, 48.2 (2014). 43-56.

Book Chapters

“Can I Get a Witness? Proclaiming the Gospel in a Post-Everything World.” (With Nicole Reid). In Is the Gospel Good News? Edited by Stanley E. Porter and Hughson T. Ong. 245-63. Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2019.

“From Monks to Punks: Emerging Christianity in Canada.” (With Steven Studebaker). In Millennials, The Emerging Church and Religion. Edited by G. Michael Zbaraschuk. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2019.

“The Minister as Artist: Bruce Springsteen and Ministry Formation.” In Inaugurations: Inaugural Lectures Delivered at McMaster Divinity College, edited by Stanley E. Porter. 74-90. Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2017.

“Forward.” In We Lost, Now What? Practical Counsel from the Book of Daniel, by Wayne Baxter. xi-xiv. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2015.

“New Models of Ministry: The Emerging Church in Canada as a Response to the Realities of Western Christianity in Decline.” In The Globalization of Christianity: Contexts and Consequences for Christian Life and Ministry, ed. Steve Studebaker and Gord Heath, Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2015.

“Sculpting a Lesson.” In Let Those who Can, Teach. ed. Stanley E. Porter, Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2013.
“The Local Church: Postmodern Possibilities.” In The Church Then and Now. ed. Stanley E. Porter and Cynthia Long-Westfall, Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2012.