Experience

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  Evangelical Presbyterian Church

  • Gloucester County, NJ

  • Church Planter

    • Feb 2020 - Present
    • Gloucester County, NJ

    • Lead weekly worship for a twenty-member core group. • Specialize in ministry to fathers and families, as well as millennials who’ve been hurt by the church or are on a path toward deconversion.• See core values for this initiative here: https://www.carpentertheologian.com/mantua-creeks-core-values/

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  Care Net

  • Landsdowne, VA

  • Executive Director of Church Outreach & Engagement

    • Jan 2017 - May 2023
    • Landsdowne, VA

    • Provided leadership, messaging, and strategy for a national seven-member team that equipped pregnancy centers and churches to offer compassion, hope, help, and long-term discipleship to women and men facing pregnancy decisions, as well as strengthen fathers and families.• Primary content expert, author, and speaker for various keynotes, live trainings, breakouts, panels, webinars, etc.• Authored/edited Care Net’s main ministry resource for churches, Making Life Disciples, as well as numerous articles.• Was licensed to this role by the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) as an “out of bounds” gospel ministry position.

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  Austen Building & Remodeling

  • NJ & KY

  • Owner and Lead Carpenter

    • 1984 - 2016
    • NJ & KY

    • Started for-profit business on three occasions (1984 during college, 1992 during seminary, and 2015 while completing my doctorate).• Provided troubleshooting and customer service for two cabinet companies and several large builders in Louisville, KY.• Regularly managed contractors along with crews of two to five people.• Acted as project manager and consultant for a historic renovation in Middletown, MD.

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  National Fatherhood Initiative

  • Greater Philadelphia Area

  • Senior Director of National Programming

    • Jun 2004 - Mar 2015
    • Greater Philadelphia Area

    • Primary content expert for corrections, reentry, and faith-based writing and field projects.• Primary support for state Department of Corrections (DOC.’s) in addressing criminogenic needs and cognitive-behavioral interventions in ways that specifically impact the marital/family domain through evidence-based strategies. • Delivered keynotes and workshops to diverse audiences such as church planting networks, pregnancy care centers, and national and territorial conferences and events for the United Methodist Church, Prison Fellowship, the Salvation Army, CareNet, and Heartbeat, Int. Common topics included fatherhood, spiritual transformation, reentry, men’s ministry, and connecting with the next generation. • Oversaw multiple national and local projects, new product and curricula development (including work with web-content and videographer), sales, training, and technical assistance related to NFI’s Community, Christian-based, and Corrections programming. • Developed curricula and provided trainings, workshops, and consultation to diverse national audiences—including the staff of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, state Departments of Corrections, county, community re-entry and aftercare specialists, prison ministries (e.g. Prison Fellowship and Awana), and/or those serving any other incarcerated and/or ex-offender program facilitators and organizations throughout the United States.• Wrote “Before She Decides” brochure for CareNet—the largest umbrella organization for Pregnancy Care Center’s (PRC’s) in the world.• Developed Christian-based overlay to NFI’s best-selling curricula, 24/7 Dad® and other publications for NFI and its partners.• Co-facilated first ever state-wide training to increase effective fatherhood programming in New Jersey. Trained 175 state practitioners (e.g. Family Success Centers) for a project funded by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families.

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  Fairfield Presbyterian Church

  • Fairton, NJ

  • Assistant Pastor (part-time)

    • Jan 2007 - Feb 2012
    • Fairton, NJ

    • Pioneered ministry to men and fathers. Developed an effective transition plan to facilitate continued growth. • Spoke regularly and oversaw student and young adult ministries.• Built relationships and engaged racially diverse churches to partner in bringing a national motivational speaker—former ex-offender with a powerful life-change story—for outreach events at local public and private high schools and several area churches.• Garnered support and approval from the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and their sending agency, Mission to North America (MNA), to plant a church in Cumberland County, NJ—the poorest county in the state. Spent the later part of 2012 raising over $50K in four months.

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  Hope Community Church

  • Willowgrove, PA

  • Senior Pastor

    • Jun 1998 - Jan 2004
    • Willowgrove, PA

    • Chief visionary, pastor, and weekly teacher of Willow Creek Association Church• Led transition of ingrown church that had considered shutting its doors to a place of strength, hope, and possibility; empowered and managed change resulting in a new name, structure, focused mission, and a face in the community. Congregation doubled in size.

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  Grace Evangelical Free Church of Louisville, KY

  • Middletown, KY

  • Associate Pastor

    • Nov 1992 - Jul 1997
    • Middletown, KY

    • Researched and wrote a proposal for outreach to young adults and the community; garnered support, funding, and approval and then spearheaded new initiatives to address both. • Developed leaders to replace me in both areas (young adults and outreach).