I work with anyone who seeks to improve their homiletical skills and who is willing to put in the hard work. Most of my clients are affiliated with mainline denominations, especially folks in the PC(USA), CBF, ELCA, and UMC. I am theologically and politically progressive, and while some of my clients are more conservative than I, they understand that my approach to engaging biblical texts and contemporary contexts is unapologetically inclusive of LGBTQIQ-identifying people, is antiracist, and questions interpretations that bolster the status quo.

I remain active in my local ecclesial context and I often preach in chapel at Columbia Theological Seminary and in Atlanta area churches. That said, I set aside several weeks a semester to preach in churches outside the Atlanta area, and if you are interested in inviting me to preach at your church, please fill out a speaking request form.

My sermon coaching and preaching consultations mostly take place online. If you would like to meet face-to-face for coaching, and you are willing to meet me in Decatur, GA, please email me to set up a free consultation.

I only work with clients who are willing to put in the hard work to improve their preaching and/or sermons. During our free 15-minute consultation call, we’ll discuss your learning goals and discuss which coaching option would best suit your needs. This gives you a chance to see if I’m the preaching coach for you, and allows me to decide if your hopes and needs align with what I’m equipped to offer.

As a seminary professor I enjoy a high degree of flexibility in my schedule. But my vocation at Columbia Theological Seminary also means that my schedule shifts from semester to semester based on my teaching schedule and committee responsibilities. At present, my primary coaching blocks for 30-minute and one hour sessions are:

Mondays 4–7 pm

Tuesdays 9 am–12 pm & 3–5 pm

Wednesdays 1–4 pm

Fridays 1–4 pm

I use Stripe for my payment portal and through it accept all major credit cards.

First of all, kudos to your church for investing in you and in the ministry of Word and sacrament! There are two ways to handle this. The easiest way is for you to pay for your coaching sessions and submit my invoices for reimbursement. If your church handles your continuing education benefits differently, I’m happy to work with your finance committee chair or other designated individual to arrange payment for my coaching services.

Life happens. I get it. That is why I typically offer my clients one free pass if they are unable to attend a coaching session. After that, I charge 50% of the session rate for cancellations made less than 12 hours before a scheduled appointment. No-shows incur a full charge for the session missed.

I LOVE working with students. That said, most seminary and divinity school students have immediate access to a homiletician at their host school. If you’re a student looking for advanced instruction to support your vocational development, I’m happy to work with you. Students who are not preaching regularly would probably find greater value in one of my advanced preaching courses, but if you would like a more structured pedagogical relationship with me, please reach out for a free consultation.

Each of my coaching sessions presupposes prep-work on both our parts. I limit the number of clients I work with to account for the time and attention required to carefully engage your work in process. I vow to always show up to our sessions ready to discuss whatever is of greatest urgency for you. Some of my weekly clients show up to our coaching sessions having already prayerfully engaged the biblical text upon which their upcoming sermon is based. The more thoughtfully you’ve engaged the text, the more fruitful you’ll find our coaching session.

For clients looking for coaching on a more macro scale (e.g., worship planning, sermon series, fine tuning hermeneutical and preaching skills), the 60-minute sessions are typically recommended.

Absolutely! Let’s think about the level of feedback you seek. With a 30-minute feedback session, you’ll receive explicit feedback on your sermon’s engagement with the biblical text, structure, focus and function, and delivery. During my 60-minute coaching sessions, we’ll have time to workshop your sermon much more deeply—literally twice as deeply. Prior to each coaching session, you’ll have opportunity to upload your sermon manuscript and/or a link to your sermon.

For sure! Having served for five years as a youth and children’s minister, I have a special place in my heart for ministers working with children and youth. Many of us who’ve been to seminary or divinity school have received very little wisdom about how to modulate our preaching in response to the intellectual and developmental needs of children and youth. If you’d like help with a children or youth sermon—or any pressing ministerial quandary along these lines—please reach out to me to arrange a time for a consultation call.

Preaching apart from the Spirit’s empowerment is just a religious speech. That said, I modulate my coaching to best serve the individual needs of my clients. If spiritual practices for preaching are a growing edge for you, then by all means let's go there together.

My on-demand courses are designed for a broad audience. Some of my courses include exercises for you to deepen your skills on a particular aspect of biblical interpretation or homiletical praxis. I do not provide personalized feedback for my on-demand courses, but if such feedback is what you’re looking for, I’d encourage you to consider one of my course bundles that combine course instruction with one-on-one feedback.

I mean, I’d prefer that folks who purchase a course not share it with anyone. Understand that I’ve worked really hard to create learning materials to support your ministry efforts. Sharing your access with others, while helpful for the one you’re sharing it with, violates the trust necessary to cultivate a healthy working relationship. Please, if there’s someone in your life who really needs to learn what I have to teach and the cost is prohibitive, then just email me and we’ll try to work something out that is fair and equitable.