Leadership at LPTS

ascension of Jesus Christ. For whosoever believes in him will have abundant life now and into eternity. He served prophetically to reveal God’s plan for redemption, teaching and revealing God’s desire for our lives, for creation and for our salvation. He served in a priestly role to offer himself as the only true and acceptable sacrifice to God, necessary for atonement for humanity’s depravity and unfaithfulness. He serves as the humble monarch by continuing to reign over humanity as a servant Lord. All that was needed for salvation was revealed to us in Jesus Christ. In grace, we receive what has been offered.

In addition to the Creator and the Son, the Holy Spirit is equally God, worthy of praise and worship. The Holy Spirit unites us to God and to our siblings in all times and places, creating a new community in love and forgiveness. The Holy Spirit dwells in God’s people, providing the gift of faith and the subsequent new life in Christ. The Holy Spirit offers guidance, equips humanity with gifts and gives us the freedom to serve in the world, to offer appropriate praise to God, and to love one another. In the mysterious sacramental acts of Communion and Baptism, the Holy Spirit attends to our needs and inspires us for the journey of faith.

The Church is called to the mission of Christ, to share God’s grace and love in the world, to proclaim God’s Word of peace, justice and mercy, and to unite and strengthen believers through communion in the practice of the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism serves as a sign and seal of God’s forgiveness of our sins by the covenant of grace established through Jesus Christ. It is the sign of one’s entrance into the visible Church and the beginning of one’s new life in Christ. In the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, individuals experience spiritual renewal and encouragement in a corporate setting as they remember their baptismal vows, renew their faith in God and share with fellow believers in mutual love and fellowship. Communion reminds us of our continuing need for God’s strength, grace, and encouragement. Faith consists of the indescribable and miraculous relationship with all three persons in the triune God. Our faith is not meant to exist apart from other believers. We worship corporately and serve the world according to God’s will as a united body of believers. The Church is the Body of Christ, including all of God’s children who share in the faith in Christ and in the communion of the Holy Spirit, gathered under Christ as the Head of the Church.

God is revealed and understood through the Word of God in scripture, in Christ as the Word incarnate, and in the Spirit through proclamation. This Word teaches humanity what it means to have faith, the need for God’s grace and God’s reconciling work for the redemption and salvation of humanity. God’s revealed Word in the Biblical witness makes humanity aware of our brokenness, fallibility and sinfulness. The Word provides an example of right living with one another and offers humanity a means to freely and gladly serve and praise God.
In all things, I put my faith, hope and love in the one true and Triune God.

historic chapel’s renovation. He has been a champion for anti-racism policies and LGBTQIA+ affirming practices in education and the Church. An officer of the Presbyterian College Chaplains, he participates actively in the network of the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities.

Andrew came to Alma in 1998 from the multi-denominational 1300-member People’s Church of East Lansing — affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), the. United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ, and American Baptist Church — where as Senior Pastor for seven years he led a staff of 82 to use the church’s resources, including location and historic significance, to start new ministries focused on ecumenical partnerships, racial justice, targeted mission, and active involvement in city and state planning. Immediately before, he was pastor for five years of Church in the Hills (Bellaire, MI), with a growing membership of 250, and earlier served as a director of youth ministries and hospice chaplain.

In his ministerial leadership, Andrew has developed financial acumen with a love for fundraising, stewardship of relationships and recruitment of new giving partners. Through the Presbyterian Foundation, he has been named one of ten Church Financial Leadership Coaches, working with 12 congregations around the US each year. He was awarded the Executive Certificate for Religious Fundraising (ECRF) from the Lake Institute for Religious Fundraising (ECRF) of Indiana University/Purdue University-Indianapolis. He serves on the boards of his local community foundation and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and chairs the board of NYAKA, a foundation in Uganda focusing on AIDS orphans. And he has come to know LPTS as a member of the President’s Roundtable.

Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 2007, Andrew is a graduate of three Presbyterian schools: BA in history and religious studies, Alma College (2001) ; M.Div, Princeton Theological Seminary (2007), and the DMin from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (2018), focused on Reformed theology in a joint program with University of Aberdeen. In addition to the ECRF, he holds certificates in Presidential Leadership Development from CREDO, and Adaptive Leadership from Michigan State University’s College of Business.

Andrew is eager for the seminary community to meet his spouse Rachell, currently a Great Start Readiness Program specialist in the Lansing School District, and their children Denali and Bryce, who will be a senior and sophomore in high school this fall.