Jeremy grew up in West Michigan and spent five years in Washington D.C. working on Capitol Hill after graduating college before moving back to his home- town. While on Capitol Hill, he worked for a United States Senator and later pastored among this community of people. Through the Center for Christian Statesmanship, he led bible studies and mentored congressional staffers in the Way of Jesus, and delivered Bibles to and prayed with Members of Congress. This experience and vantage point, coupled with his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Cedarville University, gives him a unique perspective on faith, Church, and the American experience that he hopes will help others live in the tension of faith in Jesus Christ and post-Christian America.
Through his experience in DC he had a crisis of faith that stemmed from his experience ministering among postmodern, post-Christian young adults. Of his theology, doctrine, spirituality, ministry and life, he dropped all preconceived notions, deeply held beliefs and practices in an effort to re-understand his faith in Jesus Christ. In so doing, he entered a period of deconstruction and reconstruction the likes of which he had never experienced in his theology and spirituality. Like many other younger evangelicals, the emerging church conversation was helpful in this deconstructive effort. During this time he became involved in the conversation through blogging, became friends with some leaders, and even attended Brian McLaren’s church.
But then something happened: he returned to his hometown, Grand Rapids, MI, to pursue seminary studies. During this time he came to realize that while Emergent may believe it is believing differently—and consequently believe it is offering the world a different Christianity that is more believable than the current form—in reality the emerging church simply believes otherly; the form of Christianity this version pushes is neither innovative nor different: it is a form of Christianity other-than the versions that currently exist but mirror those that have already existed. In light of his experiences and academic studies, he desires to help a new generation reorient itself around the historic Christian faith, while missionally connecting that faith to our post-Christian world.
For three years, Jeremy helped pastor a Grand Rapids area Evangelical Covenant Church, Fellowship Covenant Church. In May 2010 he received the Master of Divinity at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary (specialization in Church Planting and Development) and was awarded the Nikolai Wiens award for pastoral ministry excellence. Currently, he is completing the Master of Theology in Historical Theology at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and pursuing writing full-time.
He lives in the city with his wife Melinda. His first book, the (un)offensive gospel of Jesus (THEOKLESIA), released in October 2008, reminds the Church that we are responsible for the Jesus we show and the Jesus people see, the Story we tell and the Story people hear. His second book, PRAYERS FOR MY CITY: A Fixed-Hour Prayer Guide for Grand Rapids (THEOKLESIA), is an ecumenical Christian prayer book that sets out to recapture fixed-hour prayer for 21st century Grand Rapids. During his free time, you can find him blogging at www.novuslumen.net, jogging, reading at his favorite local coffeehouse, and enjoying life with his lovely wife, Melinda and their dog, Zoe.
