David R. Sawyer
My blogs
| Industry | Education |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Professor-Administrator |
| Location | Louisville, KY, United States |
| Introduction | Formally, I'm the Director of Lifelong Learning and Advanced Degrees and Professor of Ministry at LPTS. Professionally, before coming to LPTS in 2002, I served the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) as associate pastor and pastor, interim pastor, new church development pastor, and associate executive of a Presbyterian regional governing body. Personally, I'm husband of Rev. Deborah Fortel, an intentional interim minister, father/stepfather of four 30-something children, and companion to Ambrose the black-and-white cat and Finian the wheaten terrier. |
| Interests | A call to church leadership is not a once-in-a-lifetime event. It is a continuing transformative experience of learning. Leaders are constantly checking the coordinates of their lives in Scripture, Community, Self, and Holy Spirit to discern where God wants them to be and what God wants them to do. I want to help make that learning an experience that happens in a supportive, safe, and healthy community. I have also taught interim ministry with the Interim Ministry Network and the Presbyterian Interim Training faculty, and was adjunct professor at Eden Seminary in St. Louis and United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. In my ministry, teaching, writing, and professional associations, I have brought the insights of the applied behavioral sciences, spiritual disciplines, and theology to the issues of leadership and the development of healthy churches. I have led conferences and workshops around the country on the family systems approach to conflict resolution and leadership development. In addition to my newest book, I am the author of “The Church in Transition as a Human System” in Temporary Shepherds (Roger Nicholson, ed. Alban Institute, 1999) and Work of the Church: Getting the Job Done in Boards and Committees (Judson Press, 1987). See my new book, Hope in Conflict: Discovering Wisdom in Congregational Turmoil, just out from Pilgrim Press. |