Jonathan has been an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church since 2000, serving congregations of various sizes and locations across the Piedmont of North Carolina. He has extensive training and experience in Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Direction over the last decade. Trained under Wendy Miller, Jonathan joined the leadership of the School of Spiritual Direction Beyond Borders in 2021. For years has worked cross-racially with pastors and churches to build stronger communities and was privileged to lead an interracial, cross-cultural congregation. He also served four years on the Justice and Reconciliation Team of the UMC Western NC Conference (WNCC). Jonathan is a cofounder and co-leader of The Big Silence Retreat, a 4-day mostly silent retreat that is now in its second decade. He is also a cohort facilitator with Sabbath Life, leading a monthly experience of connecting with God and Creation, finding rest and restoration for clergy and ministry professionals at a farm/retreat center in Concord, NC. Jonathan began the Creation Care Ministry of the WNCC, is a commissioned UMC EarthKeeper, and serves on the coordinating team of the UM Creation Justice Movement. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree with a concentration in Ecology and Justice Ministries at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio. In 2022, Jonathan went on staff with the UMC General Board of Global Ministries as the new Environmental Sustainability Program Manager. He grew up in Charlotte where he was a charter member of University City UMC, and now lives with his family near Elkin, NC.
