About John

I serve as the Senior Pastor at First Parish Church in Brunswick, Maine.

Prior to serving in Brunswick, I was the Pastor at the First Congregational Church of Milton, United Church of Christ from 2015-2021. In Milton, it was my privilege to pastor a quickly growing congregation comprised primarily of families with young children. I worked with church and community leaders on issues of youth mental health. I organized and led a $450k capital campaign to build a new youth center for the community within the church building.

Before my time in Milton, I served as a Pastoral Resident at Village Church in Wellesley, MA. The Pastoral Residency is a full-time two-year ministry which seeks to build on Seminary education in order to equip leaders for a lifetime of ministry. At Village Church, I led worship and launched a new Wednesday evening dinner church worship service. I taught confirmation and adult bible studies, assisted with a capital campaign, worked on a committee that is designing a new chapel for our church, provided pastoral care, performed weddings, baptisms, and funerals, and much more. Through it all, I had the support of incredible pastoral mentors and a strong teaching congregation, who continue to shape me and help me learn the art of ministry.

I graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina in 2010 and received a Master of Divinity in New Testament from Union Theological Seminary in 2013.  At Union I received the Hudnut Preaching Prize, the Muilenburg Prize in Biblical Studies and the Travelling Fellowship.

While at Union, I served as a Chapel Minister in James Memorial Chapel, planning and leading daily worship for the seminary community. I also worked as the first Program Coordinator for the new Theology and Economics Lecture Series, which invited preeminent economists to dialogue with the Union community in hopes that their work may be served and informed by the instincts and sensitivities of people of faith. I completed my Field Education at the First Congregational Church of Stamford, CT and my Chaplaincy Internship at St. Lukes Roosevelt Hospital in New York City.   

I was a leader in Union’s Students for Peace and Justice and was active in campaigns addressing the foreclosure crisis and working for a living wage for fast food restaurant workers. Before coming to seminary, I worked as a Firefighter and EMT in North Carolina. Beyond my ministry, my wife Molli and I spend much of our time raising our two young daughters. I am also a violinist and a sailor who loves to cook.