Nathan, a lifelong Methodist, grew up in Monticello, where he attended Twin Lakes High School. Nathan did the typical high school things – he played basketball and was in the band. Sarah was in the band as well, but she was a couple years younger.

Even as a youngster, something was nudging him.

“I would say probably in middle school I started feeling called to the ministry,” he recalled. “Some of my Sunday School teachers said, ‘You’re going to be a great pastor.’ At that point I said, ‘No, I don’t think so.’”

After graduating from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2004, Nathan enrolled in Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. He was married to Sarah by then, and the couple wanted to stay local. While he was attending seminary, Nathan pastored a small church in Colfax, Indiana. Several assignments followed. He pastored churches in Munster, Fort Wayne, and Frankton before he was assigned to Wabash First United Methodist Church in 2019, his final church home before being appointed to St. Mark’s.

It’s safe to say that Nathan enjoys being a pastor, but certain aspects of the call really make him excited. For instance, he has a special place in his heart for performing baptisms.

“It’s always an important moment to me,” Nathan said. “I’ve always enjoyed being able to work with the parents and other people who were being baptized.”

He’s also passionate about community involvement. Nathan currently sits on several local boards in the Wabash area, including the YMCA, the local chamber of commerce, and Waypoint Wabash, a transitional home for women who are recovering from substance use disorder.

“I think that if the church is going to have an impact in the community, the church has to be in the community. That means if we’re going to have a faith influence in the community, we have to bring our faith to every aspect of the community,” he said.

He anticipates doing a lot of listening when he arrives at St. Mark’s. He wants to find out what’s important to the St. Mark’s family, and what we want to be in the surrounding community. He’s a natural networker, and he anticipates helping people make the appropriate connections to share St. Mark’s heart with the people around us.

“The vision we have and set will drive us forward,” he said.

Five questions for Nathan:

What do you want us to call you? I tell people to call me Nathan, but if they have to say Pastor, it’s Pastor Nathan.

Favorite Bible passage: Mark, chapter 5, the healing of the man’s daughter and the woman who was bleeding.

What do you like to do on your day off? I like to golf when I can. Most of the time I’m spending time with my family.

Early morning or night owl? I can do mornings, but I’m not a 5 am person. That’s typically not me.

What are you most proud of in your life? I would say my family, the kids and Sarah. They’re just really, really great people.