Meet Pastor David Carlson as he gives some information about himself here. Links to his writings are featured Here.

What do you need to know about me? I could tell you that I am the perfect pastor, but there are commandments against lying. So, let's try this instead:
I was born and raised in a small town called Port Orchard, Washington. From the earliest age I was brought to church by my parents. Even so it was a shock to me to learn that not all people go to heaven. I learned that at a neighborhood Bible Club, and it bothered me quite a bit until I made a commitment to Christ at the end of my Junior year of High School.

I attended the University of Washington and was encouraged by my pastor to find the InterVarsity group on campus. My undergraduate degree was in History, yet I learned a great deal about ministry in four years with InterVarsity campus ministry. I remain a loyal fan of both the UW Huskies and of the kind of ministry that IVCF has always stood for.

Upon graduation, I worked part time and was on volunteer campus staff for the InterVarsity group in Missoula Montana. There I discovered snow and sub-zero weather. I worked in some interesting jobs and learned that my vocation probably did not include the use of a chain saw. More importantly, I met my future wife, Jerry, she was one of the student leaders.

Jerry and I both felt a call to Urban Ministry. When we moved to Chicago in 1981 it was for me to complete my Masters of Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. For Jerry it was to complete her internship at the New City YMCA adjacent to Cabrini Green on the one side and Yuppies on the other.

After graduation we came to a small German Evangelical church in Queens, New York City. During our nine years there we learned that church ministry formulas don't fit urban churches. We developed a strategy of flexible borrowing when it came to methods, but with a foundation on the Scriptures.

Our three daughters were all born in New York and I should admit to having rooted for the Yankees, unless they played the Mariners.

My family and I came to Bethany Free Church in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. It is in many ways like the Urban Ministry we knew, but on a smaller scale. Bethany is a church started in 1906 among Norwegians living on the near east side. This church's history is about starting things in this town. Students from Bethany started the Badger Student Fellowship (before InterVarsity was formed). This church is also responsible for two daughter churches on the west is Blackhawk church and on the far east is Door Creek Church.

My philosophy of ministry can be summarized in two verses of Scripture.

Acts 6:4 The Apostles devoted themselves to,"prayer and the ministry of the word". I believe that all I have to say in my teaching and preaching must be clearly grounded in the Scriptures. The Word of God is the power of God for salvation, it is what we need for our moral instruction and it is what should evaluate all the means and methods we use in church. Prayer is vital because it is God who does the work of ministry, not us.

I Thessalonians 4:8 The Apostle Paul said that he was, "delighted to share with you not only the Word of God, but our lives as well...". Just as was the ministry of the Apostles in the early church, so ministry in the 21st century must be personal. Just as Jesus drew near to all people, so we live in the middle of this city for the sake of the Gospel. With all the technological toys of our time, it is still a mater of sharing the Word of God, as well as ourselves.

One modern tool of technology that I have managed to learn is Email. So I invite you to Email me personally and we can start a conversation.

What is "eturbietorbi"? It is something I borrowed in New York, it means, "for the city and for the world". It is both the motto of Long Island University (Brooklyn Campus) and also for me. The Gospel is "for the city" just as it is "for the world".

I look forward to hearing from you, D.C.