Teaching
I. Love. Teaching. (Or preaching or speaking.) Specifically, I love teaching about the Jesus, life with God, and Scripture. Communicating complex ideas simply. Inspiring people to think—or live—differently. Offering a new, life-giving perspective. I resonate with Jeremiah when he said it was in his bones. Here’s a few things I’ve taught over the years.
Whiteout 2021 Highlight Video
Weekend Youth Retreat Speaker
Beulah Beach: Whiteout 2021
Grades 8-12 from Friday Night to Sunday Morning (4 Sessions)
Preaching • Youth ministry A handful of times over the years, I’ve gotten to speak at youth ministry retreats, either as a contributing teacher or the main speaker for the weekend. It is always an absolute BLAST. I love to see how God moves when we give him space—and I get so encouraged when I see young people responding to what God is doing.
This was a weekend winter retreat at Beulah Beach near Sandusky, OH. They’re a fantastic camp. The theme was the “Wild West,” and they brought in over 500 students plus leaders for an amazing weekend of experiencing God together.
eBook
Truly Us
Why Jesus—Not Feminism or Biblical Patriarchy—Is Our Only Framework for Truly Understanding Gender
Writing • ACADEMIC RESEARCH • BOOK DESIGNI wrote a book! (Sort of…) I wrote a thesis to conclude my Master’s of Theology on Mission from Northern Seminary. A lot of people asked to read it, so I decided to design a beautiful PDF instead of sending over the official Times New Roman Word Doc. (These pictures are just mockups of the PDF if it were in book form.)
You’ll want to check it out if you have ever wondered what it means to be a man or a woman and why it matters. Chapter 1 introduces the triumphs and tragedies of the past one hundred years of feminisms. Chapter 2 confronts the Evangelical reaction dubbed “biblical patriarchy.” In chapter 3, I get into Genesis, Jesus, and Paul, establishing a framework for understanding gender (and humanity in the image of God) across time and culture. And at the end, of course, I suggest some conclusions and give examples of how the world might look if we stepped in to this vision of humanity.
Podcast
Truly Us
An Audiobook About Jesus, Gender, & How to Be Human, Together.
Writing • ACADEMIC RESEARCH • Podcast productionAfter dozens of people downloaded the Truly Us ebook, I realized that an additional format could help increase its impact. So, I recorded it as an audiobook! But… I still needed it to be more accessible for more people. So, I released the audiobook as a weekly podcast for 9 weeks, with intro music and everything.
It was super fun. Some people called it a “podbook,” which I love. Here were a few other responses:
"Brian—thank you so much for putting your thesis into podcast form! I thoroughly enjoyed the first episode and can't wait for more! I especially loved that you added a reflective pause after the Margaret Sanger Quote-brilliant!'
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"Thank you for releasing episode 2 today! Your factual, kind, non-judgmental tone of voice is so necessary for this topic that is so emotional for many. Keep up the good work!"
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"Yes, yes 1000x yes! I listened to that last episode about Jesus twice because it was so good!"
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"I never knew the tidbit about pink being masculine and blue being feminine 'back in the day.’ That was really interesting!"
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"I'm so glad you're undertaking this project! What you said about modesty and gender stereotypes really resonated with me. As a mom, it's even more concerning about how people will influence my children when my daughter is more "masculine" and my son is more "feminine" by our cultural standards. And modesty "rules" have always been a pet peeve of mine. You are 100% right about modesty being cultural and should reflect an interior disposition rather than following a set of rules. THANK you for boldly speaking the truth!"
Video Course
CLARITY
Discover How to Recognize God's Voice & More Confidently Step Out in Faith
Online Video Course • Marketing Funnel • Email CampaignFrom 2016 to 2020, our church hosted a 9-month young adult discipleship intensive called FORM. In January of 2020, I initiated an entire rebrand and relaunch, including updated color palette and fonts, an all-new website, and new ways for people to experience the content before applying. This became the online video course known as CLARITY. Not only did this give people the opportunity to engage with one of the foundational tools for FORM, but it was tied to a targeted marketing funnel—including email automations, online quizzes, and extra downloads—to help with recruiting. (Unfortunately, COVID killed FORM, and with it, our entire updated strategy.)
In this 4-part course, I train participants in identifying when God might be speaking, processing that experience internally, discerning with others and with Scripture, and stepping out in faith to see God work in their life. (Check out the course below, reposted on our church’s app and website.)