When the moment you're in requires something different from what got you here — that's where I work. Strategic facilitation, property stewardship, and AI tools for leaders ready to stop admiring the problem and start building what comes next.
For congregations navigating transition, nonprofits seeking alignment, and leadership teams facing the kind of challenge where the old playbook doesn't apply.
Guiding leadership teams through discernment, visioning, and adaptive change — especially when the path forward isn't obvious and the old playbook isn't working. Hands-on work with 50+ congregations, national reach to 120+.
Facilities assessment, reimagination, and stewardship for congregations and nonprofits. Four church renovations from the inside. Now consulting through Partners for Sacred Places and Mission Management Company — helping communities unlock what their buildings can become.
Practical AI coaching for clergy and organizational leaders. Not hype. Not fear. Tools that change how you prepare, communicate, and lead. Co-Creator of the Everyday AI for Ministry workshop series.
Ordained minister with 20+ years of pastoral leadership across four congregations. Currently serving as Interim Pastor at Hillsborough UCC. Instructor at Duke Divinity School.
I see patterns other people miss — and I know how to make them land. My career has been built at the intersection of theology, strategy, and design thinking, and I've spent two decades helping institutions navigate seasons of deep change.
I directed a $1M Lilly Endowment initiative through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, where I designed learning architecture, developed formation frameworks, and guided congregational teams through adaptive challenges reaching 120+ churches. My Doctor of Ministry at Duke explored how design thinking and the practices of the early church create conditions for innovation. I've taught at Duke Divinity School, facilitated retreats from Hong Kong to New York, and have been hands-on with 50+ congregations in strategic planning, property stewardship, and leadership development.
I've presented for the US Air Force Chaplain Corps, Duke Divinity School's Pastor's School, and denominational bodies including the UMC of North Carolina and Western NC Conference. My writing has appeared in Faith & Leadership and other publications exploring the intersections of ministry, design, and change.
I've also been part of four church renovations from the inside — which means I know what it actually takes when a building needs to become something new. I'm based in Durham, NC. I keep a small fleet of interesting cars — my son's 1991 Saab 900S convertible, a Land Rover LR3, and a 1969 Pontiac LeMans — and I believe the best work happens when story, system, and spirit hold together.
Most strategic plans die in a drawer because they skip the hard middle. They jump from lofty purpose to action steps without ever building the connective tissue that holds an organization together.
The EPT Framework addresses this by working three questions in sequence — and in relationship to each other. It's a strategic planning tool for organizations ready to move from "why do we exist?" to "what do we actually do about it?" — with integrity at every step.
The character, culture, and identity of the organization — not the aspirational version, but the honest one. What do people actually experience when they walk through the door?
The practices, habits, and systems that shape daily life. Where the rubber meets the road — or doesn't. This is where most organizations find the gap between who they say they are and what they actually do.
The purposeful aim. Not a mission statement on a wall, but a living sense of direction that shapes decisions, priorities, and courage.
Human-centered design for congregational life. Empathy-driven, prototype-tested, built for contexts where "we've always done it this way" is the dominant operating system. The basis of my doctoral research at Duke.
A three-session AI workshop for mainline Protestant clergy. Practical tools that change how ministers prepare, communicate, and lead. Co-created with Adam Hollowell and Cameron Merrill. Learn more →
A multi-session formation curriculum introducing design thinking as a spiritual and theological practice. Integrates scripture, worship, and human-centered design for ministry staffs, lay leaders, and nonprofit teams.
Facilities assessment, reimagination, and community engagement consulting. Working through Partners for Sacred Places and Mission Management Company to help congregations unlock the potential of their buildings.
If your team is in a season of transition, uncertainty, or possibility — this work might be for you. Not because everything is clear. But because it isn't.
Most engagements start with a simple conversation about where you are, what you're navigating, and what kind of support might help. No pitch. No obligation. Just honest talk about what's next.