Welcome Doug Wysockey-Johnson

I was born into a family that valued church. It was a positive place to be--I learned the basics, but more importantly experienced church as a place of love and acceptance. I don't ever remember a specific decision to become a Christian, though Confirmation in 8th Grade was the time I that remember taking faith seriously.

The (Evangelical Covenant) camping ministry was an important place for my development. I worked at camps for a total of eleven summers, as a counselor, program director and camp pastor. Here I experienced the power of community life, as well as some of its shadow. In this environment I first experienced leading others. At camp I was able to stretch, fail, and grow in a supportive environment.

After college I knew that I wanted to continue my learning in graduate school, but I wasn't sure what to pursue (psychology, literature, history and religion were all possibilities). It came down to a simple question for me: What am I most curious about? I realized that I was most curious about God, and therefore that's what (Who) I would pursue in graduate school. This curious seeking after God has been a theme all my life.

My decision to attend Andover-Newton Theological School was significant. I wanted to attend a divinity school that was more progressive than my fairly conservative Covenant upbringing. At Andover-Newton, I was exposed to the social justice element of faith--issues of feminism, racism, homosexuality and poverty were on the front burner. At the same time my brother was attending Gordon Conwell, a more conservative theology school also in the Boston area. I experienced the mud slinging and stereotyping that often goes on between liberal and conservatives. Feeling the tension between these two polarities, and trying to be a reconciling presence has been a part of my call ever since.

After another year at the Covenant's seminary (North Park in Chicago) in order to qualify for ordination in that denomination, I served a 500-member UCC church for three years as an Associate and then Co-pastor. It was a very positive experience, but I struggled with the role of minister. I began to see how that role could consume a person's identity. I had the feeling even then that my call would have me moving in and out of parish ministry.

For the next two years I worked as a consultant. Most of my contracts were through the Lilly Endowment, helping boards and staffs of nonprofits better understand their leadership roles. Through this work I was challenged to think about God's call to organizations, not just individuals. Those beliefs have lead me into further involvement with an organization called "Seeing Things Whole: A Network Bridging Faith and Organizational Life." During those years, I worshiped in two diverse churches: a very liturgical Episcopal church (with lots of words), and a Quaker Meeting (with few words). I began to see how much I enjoyed the variety of ways that God's people can worship.

After that, I worked three years as the Director of Ministry at a Covenant Conference Center, and now six years as the pastor of the Covenant Community Church in Burlington VT. I do love the church, and am particularly nurtured by the liturgical year and its rituals. In spite of my struggles with it, I have great hope for the future of this institution--I know it has shaped my life in many positive ways.

To nourish my inner life, I have been drawn towards more traditionally Catholic disciplines: spiritual direction, retreats, silence, Taize singing, and lectio divina. (My wife calls me a 'Catholic Wannabe'). Part of my call has been to introduce these valuable disciplines to the communities I have served. While in Burlington, I have had a spiritual director who asks me the same question over and over: "Where is God in the events of your life?" It's the same question, but time after time it yields new answers.

My spiritual life is also nourished by the secular world. I love to see movies, read books, listen to music and find the hidden gospel in them. Maybe because so much of my life has revolved around the church, the gospel has often been most fresh when I find it outside the church.