Jacob (he/him) sees his call to ministry as creating opportunities and practices of faith with people to build and participate in communities that welcome and affirm one another as we are and live bravely enough to believe that such a world is possible. As a local church pastor he sees his role as inviting people to discover what grounds their faith and imagine together an abundance of hope in the way of Jesus.
Jacob is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. He was called as the pastor of Wichita UCC in February of 2022. He earned his Master of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary in 2017. Jacob previously served a congregation in Anchorage, AK, where he shepherded the process of becoming a registered Open & Affirming congregation.
Jacob's public advocacy work is focused on the power of self-advocacy, public witness, and the building of partnerships with and as part of communities most impacted by social struggles and injustices. Jacob writes and lectures on congregational social action and communal participation in the creation of a more just society. He also has varied experience as a non-profit leader, including in the areas of interfaith dialogue, social advocacy organizations, and was the founding co-director of an after-school non-profit partnership between his congregation and the local university to serve college students and their dependent children.
Jacob and his family are originally from Kansas, and they are excited to be home and making a home in Wichita.