Welcome Rev. David Van Brakle
Rev. David Van Brakle
The Reverend Miriam Méndez, American Baptist Churches of New Jersey (ABCNJ) Executive Minister and Senior Regional Pastor, is pleased to announce that Reverend David Van Brakle has been called to join the regional ministry team as a full-time Associate Regional Pastor, effective January 6, 2020.
A lifelong American Baptist, David remembers persuading his family in fourth grade to continue attending an American Baptist congregation after they moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania. David experienced opportunities to serve within the broader community to congregational care of individual church members even before feeling a call to vocational ministry. David credits his home congregation for emphasizing the contribution of each individual in the ministry of the church. “Not only were we taught that all of us in the church were part of the Body of Christ,” David states, “but we were invited to live out Christ’s teachings within the congregation and in our everyday lives.” David’s experiences within his childhood congregation established a commitment to nurturing the spiritual gifts of others.
Before coming to ABCNJ, Rev. David Van Brakle served as the lead pastor at The Community Church of Wilmette, an American Baptist Church, located in the north suburbs of Chicago. Having served congregations in New York, Michigan, and Illinois, David has been in settings that have varied from inner-city, suburban, and rural communities. Each congregation underwent the work of envisioning how God was moving in new ways based on the skills and interests of congregants and needs of the wider community. One of David’s passions in serving local congregations has been listening to people’s stories.
Married for twelve years, David met his wife Erica at Green Lake Conference Center during the Orientation for ABC Life while finishing seminary. They have two boys.
David studied theology at Eastern University in St. Davids, PA and completed his Masters of Divinity at Colgate Rochester Crozer in Rochester, NY. He has also received a certificate in nonprofit leadership from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, certificate of Religious Fundraising from Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University at Purdue, and recently underwent training at the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center for conflict mediation. He is currently finishing his Doctorate of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary focusing on resourcing leaders.
Contact Information
Associate Regional Pastor David Van Brakle can be reached via email at dvanbrakle@abcnj.net, or via phone (609) 587-8700 ext. 118.