About
The Overview
I work with pastors and church leaders who want more than a church that is merely safe, peaceful, or quaint.
Many leaders sense that something deeper is at stake in this moment—but feel unsure how to lead faithfully through complexity, resistance, and change. Too often, that uncertainty turns into what Edwin Friedman famously called a failure of nerve: a quiet retreat into maintenance, conflict-avoidance, and lowered expectations for what God can do through the church.
I believe the church is called to more.
My passion is helping leaders cultivate healthy, courageous leadership so that churches can truly flourish—spiritually, relationally, and missionally. Leadership health matters because anxious, reactive systems do not disciple people well. But differentiated, grounded leaders—leaders who can stay present, hopeful, and purposeful in the midst of challenge—create space for real transformation.
When leaders grow in clarity and courage, churches become places where the Gospel is not only proclaimed, but embodied:
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where people discover that there is something greater than themselves,
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where deep healing is possible—not superficial fixes, but lasting restoration,
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and where lives are shaped by a renewed sense of purpose rooted in Christ.
My work draws from Scripture, adaptive leadership, systems thinking, and years of ministry experience. I am particularly committed to helping leaders face real challenges honestly—declining trust, cultural shifts, conflict, burnout, and fear—without surrendering their calling or shrinking their vision.
Healthy leadership does not mean harsh leadership.
Faithful leadership does not mean reckless leadership.
But courageous leadership does mean refusing to let fear determine the future of the church.
I exist to help leaders rediscover confidence in God’s work among them—and to lead churches that are alive, resilient, and deeply formative for the people God entrusts to their care.
Hello.
My name is James
I grew up in the church in rural-ish New Castle, Pennsylvania. I've been an insurance salesman, a grocery store manager, a data entry clerk, and a teacher. Since 2015, I've been a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA), who has faced the challenges of a declining church, a global pandemic, and all that goes with those things. Longer than anything else, I've been a husband and a father of two. Since 2022, I've pastored a church in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.
I grew up in a home of teachers who valued education, so I have a BA in English (Baldwin-Wallace College), an MDiv (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary), and am working on a DMin in adaptive leadership (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary).
Over the course of my education, I've familiarized myself with MBTI, Clifton StrengthsFinder, Working Genius, and APEST. I'm currently working on a model of organizational learning to make adaptive learning more understandable. I'm not scared of failure, and I've come to see difficulty as opportunity.
My wife, Katie, and I love to take on various projects, so you might see woodworking and quilting alongside coaching in the store. Don't be frightened. It's just what happens when you live in a family where every member has ADHD, making the English Pointers in the house the most neurotypical members of the family.
