To be honest, I’ve always had a difficult time with the whole personal bio deal. Don’t get me wrong. I know they’re necessary and valuable. To buy into another person’s leadership voice and influence, we have to know something about them. But, more often than not, they seem so disingenuous. They are generally written in the third person as if by someone else, but we know they are approved, if not written, by the person.So, to get past all of that weirdness, I’m just going to give you some first person insights into my life, leadership, and longings.This way you can decide whether or not I have something to offer you in your quest to unlock your God-given potential and opportunities.
I’m not the typical pastor. Truth is, for most of my life, I haven’t related to many of them. To this day, I’m not in love with the title, which is why I prefer and ask to be called Brad.However, though I will never fit into the “pastor box,” I do know that I’m called by God to be one.In fact, I’ve been serving as a pastor for over 25 years.
The first six years were in four very different churches and locations, from Rhode Island to Florida and from 18 to 500 people.For the last nineteen years, I’ve been the Senior Pastor of NorthRidge Church in Plymouth, MI, previously known as Temple Baptist Church of Detroit.As such, I’ve had the privilege of being part of an amazing transition…from an old dying church looking backwards to a great heritage and forwards to a very indefinite future, to a church that is making a profound impact in thousands of lives today.
Why has God given me this privilege? There are several reasons that I can identify.First, I match the profile of the kind of people God says He uses. 1 Corinthians 1:27, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” I’m a perfect match.Second, though flawed in many ways, God knows that I’m in ministry for one reason…I love Him and want others to know the redemption, love, fulfillment, and hope that I’ve experienced in knowing Him.Third, in a generation where the church is in such desperate need for change without compromise, He wanted to provide an example of change that could provide hope.He’s done it in NorthRidge and me. Here’s the reality.If God could successfully transition our church and if God could use me to lead the way, He can transition any church, anywhere, through anyone.
Because, in this ever changing world, transition is absolutely necessary in all churches, (young and old, traditional and contemporary, declining and growing), I am passionate about helping people learn from our experience how they can successfully lead and process change without compromising God’s truth.The reason is simple. If we don’t change the way we do ministry, we will fail to connect God’s life transforming truth to our constantly changing world.At the same time, if we compromise God’s truth, then, no matter how successful we are at reaching people today, we have nothing of eternal value to offer them.
To this end, I am a frequent conference speaker; author of “Change Your Church for Good” (Thomas Nelson Publishers); regular columnist for Outreach Magazine; recently named contributing editor of the Leadership Journal; and host of and primary teacher for an annual conference called “Change Without Compromise.
Personally, my entire life is shaped by what Christ has and continues to do in and through me. Though I love and am passionate about ministry, my love and passion for family comes first. I’ve been married to Roxann for 29 years. She has always been and continues to be my partner in life and ministry. We have three adult children, which has also now yielded us a son-in-law and 2 grandsons. In the summer, I enjoy water sports…especially skiing. In the winter, I enjoy dreaming about it.
If you love Christ and His Church, I consider you a friend. If there is anyway that I can encourage or help you in your leadership or in fulfilling your passion to reach this desperate world, let me know.