Currently, I'm the parish minister of First Parish in Cohasset, Massachusetts. We're an ancient congregation — founded in 1721, meetinghouse built in 1747 — facing today's big challenges in creative ways.
Over the course of my career, my professional interests have included change management in congregations, helping congregations heal from previous clergy misconduct, congregational administration, religious education, size transitions in congregations. Theologically, I'm most interested in ecological spirituality, and how colonization and religion have become intertwined in the West. For my professional qualifications and experience, please see my CV. I'm always available to officiate at rites of passage for members and friends of First Parish in Cohasset, and may have limited availability for other religious liberals; please see the Rites of passage page for more information. I'm a white cisgender male using he-him pronouns; culturally, I'm a New Englander.
I'm passionate about liberal religion, because I feel it offers deep spiritual resources for individuals, as well as a vision for "an earth made fair and all her people one." I'm passionate about liberal religious communities — our congregations — because they're great places to raise kids, because they offer respite from a troubled world and a vision of hope for the future, and because they allow us to combine our individual efforts for social justice into powerful collective action.
The Delaration of Independence was read to the people of Cohasset, Mass., for the first time from the pulpit in the 1747 Meetinghouse of First Parish in Cohasset. I started a tradition of having people — including teens — read the entire Declaration from that exact same pulpit on the Sunday closeset to Independence Day. In this photo, I'm giving the introduction to the actual reading of the Declaration.
I live with my partner of many years, Carol Steinfeld, who is a writer specializing in ecological pollution prevention issues, particularly water and wastewater. Carol and I live in southeastern Massachusetts.
Before I became a minister, I worked as warehouse help, sculptor's apprentice, lumber salesperson, carpenter, clerk in a health food store, and director of religious education.
My non-professional interests include hiking and birding. I'm a certified California Naturalist, and lead workshops in ecological spirituality. I do quite a bit of recreational reading and writing. I'm a Sacred Harp singer with a passion for eighteenth century American choral music.
Carol puts her umbrella up on a recent walk at Allens Pond Audubon Sanctuary.
