Education

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Asbury Theological Seminary
Wilmore, Kentucky
Master of Divinity, 2000

Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, Minnesota
Bachelor of Science in Business Computer Information Systems, 1991

Ministry Experience

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Associate Pastor

Adjunct Instructor
Malone University
Canton, Ohio
Spring Semesters, 2007 - Present
Teach undergraduates class on “Discipleship of Youth,” including philosophies of youth ministry, history of adolescent development, models of discipleship, and practical methods of promoting discipleship of youth.

Dueber United Methodist Church
Canton, Ohio
July 2005 – January 2008
Responsible for vision and direction of ministries involving young adults, youth and children.
These responsibilities include:

Leading all youth events, including Wednesday night programs, Bible studies, retreats, special events, etc.
Coordinating Sunday school resources and scheduling.
Supervising volunteers who are in charge of children’s church program for elementary children
Other miscellaneous responsibilities:

Pastoral care
Involvement in Sunday morning worship
Assisting the Senior Pastor

From July 2005-July 2007, was also responsible for:

Organizing Dueber Kids Club, an after-school club for children from Dueber Elementary.
Coordinating all young adult ministry programs, including:

Young adult married Bible Study
College-age Sunday school class
Evangelistic events

Other miscellaneous responsibilities:

Worship technology coordination
Pastoral care
Involvement in Sunday morning worship
Assisting the Senior Pastor

Associate Director for Youth and Young Adult Ministries
East Ohio Conference of United Methodist Church
North Canton, Ohio
August 2004 – July 2005

Worked with the Conference Council on Youth Ministries (CCYM), an elected body of about 70 youth from East Ohio Conference; organized Youth Annual Conference, the governing body of 1200 youth from the conference; organized and strengthened Youth Jam, an annual event held for 5,000 youth; strengthened other major youth gatherings and programs sponsored by CCYM.
Other responsibilities included:

Providing training for adult workers in youth ministry;
Encouraging churches to intentionally invite youth and young adults to discipleship and the total life and ministry of the congregation;
Encouraging CCYM to be involved in national and jurisdictional youth events;
Responding to requests for assistance from CCYM and from local churches and districts as needed.

Youth Pastor
St JaMO Youth Ministry (St. Margaret’s, St. John’s and St. Oswald’s Anglican Parishes)
Durham, England
October 2000 – July 2004

Responsible for developing a youth ministry sponsored by three churches in Durham city center; designed a relational-based ministry model including a sequential model of Come, Grow, Disciple and Lead.

The programs developed include:

Super6: After-school program for 10-year-olds with the goal of telling the story of Jesus Christ in a modern way in a comfortable environment.
Quest: Junior High cell-groups designed to create a comfortable environment for the youth to invite their friends and to learn how knowing Jesus affects their relationships, lifestyle and decision-making.
Deeper: Senior High cell-groups that followed a WWWW plan (Welcome, Worship, Word, and Witness), teaching youth to create environments in which to learn about the Bible and to invite their churched and non-churched friends. Involved discipleship and leadership training.
LOL (Living On Love) Worship Service: Youth-led and youth-designed worship service for the larger Durham area. Each service involved temporarily redesigning the 800-year-old church in which it was held. Responsibilities included helping youth to create a worship band and various groups focusing on art, drama, technology, set-up and clean-up. In addition, LOL developed creative ways to express worship through multimedia technology.
IF (Intellectual Fellowship): Apologetic/Ethics discussion group for Christian and non-Christian senior high students. The coffee-shop discussions encouraged youth to explore their beliefs taught Christian youth how to better express their faith.
Additional responsibilities at St JaMO:

Recruited and trained volunteers to be involved in the ministry;
Mentored placements from the Durham University Christian youth work training programs and Cranmer Hall ordinands;
Participated in PCC meetings at three churches;
Occasionally preached at churches and local school assemblies;
Helped organize Go Large event at Durham Cathedral, which included almost 1,000 youth;
Maintained web pages that provided information regarding different avenues into the ministry.

Teacher and Assistant Dean
Wilmore Camp Meeting
Wilmore, Kentucky
June 2000

Taught hour-long youth Bible studies daily for the week-long camp meeting.

Youth Administrator
Wilmore United Methodist Church
Wilmore, Kentucky
June 1999 - June 2000

Helped youth pastor with administrative duties, including writing and publishing the monthly youth newsletter, mailing activity updates, creating a calendar of events, helping coordinate and train volunteers; filled in for youth pastor as necessary.

Youth Ministry Team Member
Wilmore United Methodist Church
Wilmore, Kentucky
January 1998 - June 2000

Volunteered to help lead small groups and large group meetings; helped coordinate evangelistic events; preached at youth events; counseled youth.

Director of Computer Services
Ichthus Ministries, Inc.
Wilmore, Kentucky
October 1997 - November 1999

Responsible for all computer hardware and software for the Ichthus Music Festival,a contemporary Christian music festival of about 20,000 attendees; maintained database; oversaw internet site; planned and implemented future technical needs.

Clinical Pastoral Education
Central Baptist Hospital
Lexington, Kentucky
June 1999 - August 1999

Served 400 hours of pastoral care in an urban hospital setting.

Supervised Ministry Student
Wilmore United Methodist Church
Wilmore, Kentucky
Spring 1999

As an intern, served in various roles, including serving Communion, preaching and teaching; primary role was to run the weekly youth program, which included multi-media presentations, games, a Bible study, refreshments, and coordination of volunteers.

Youth Coordinator
Pilgrim United Methodist Church
Plymouth, Minnesota
September 1993 - July 1996

Coordinated all youth events, including Bible studies, large group meetings,evangelistic outreach activities, ski trips and other outings; counseled youth; coordinated the Youth Administrative Council.

Camp Counselor
Summer Assembly Grounds
Paynesville, Minnesota
Fall 1992 - June 1997

Helped to coordinate and implement a week-long youth camp held during the
summer; counseled and taught Bible studies and workshops.

Certificates

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Church of England Bishop’s Certificate in Youth Ministry

Other Activities

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Member of Cursillo 4th Day community
Soo Bahk Do Karate -- 1st degree black belt
Computer Consultant -- for five years prior to accepting the call to ministry

Family

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Wife: Married to Dr. Suzanne Nicholson, Ph.D. for 13 years. She is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Malone College. Children: Connor, 9, and Allie, 6.

References

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