David S. Young is an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren. A pastor for 35 years, he has served in permanent and interim positions, in small and large churches, in Maryland, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. He helped found a Hospice doing spiritual care at Crozer Chester Medical Center near Philadelphia. He was Congregational Transformation Specialist for the American Baptist Churches, USA. David established Rekindle! where churches in thirteen clusters nationwide were linked by fiber optic to go through a four-year renewal process. Currently he has developed and is leading a church renewal initiative called Springs of Living Water! with his wife Joan where clusters of churches go through the renewal process. They are working in the N. Ohio, Shenandoah, and W. PA districts of the Church of the Brethren. A Springs! Institute has been created for shorter one or more day events in renewal. Both the Renewal initiative and the Institute are elaborated in the Springs section of this web site.

 

Since 1986, Dr. Young has served as Adjunct Professor of Spiritual Formation and Church Renewal at the Eastern (American) Baptist Theological Seminary and teaches intensives at Lancaster Theological Seminary. He taught intensives at 3 seminaries: Eastern Mennonite, Bethany, and Princeton Theological. He taught at the International Conference of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership and in many setting in the church. David earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics with honors, at Elizabethtown College. While pursuing a Doctoral degree at Purdue University in math, he felt led to go to Bethany Theological Seminary and earned his Master of Divinity degree with honors. During his first pastorate he gained an interest in church renewal and pursued a Doctor of Ministry degree in church renewal at Bethany. His first book was mentored by Richard Armstrong at Princeton Theological Seminary. He did extended work in preaching with James Forbes at Auburn/Union Theological Seminary in New York City and was selected by Dr. Forbes for the Master Preacher series.

 

Dr. Young has authored four books and a monograph, edited and wrote in another, and has chapters in three others. He has written 35articles on spiritual formation, servant leadership, and church renewal along with sermons, 7 Easter messages. His publications in church renewal are: Springs of Living Water, Christ-Centered Church Renewal, (Herald Press, 2008), Servant Leadership for Church Renewal, Shepherds by the Living Springs (Herald Press, 1999). A New Heart and A New Spirit, A Plan for Renewing Your Church (Judson Press, 1994). He wrote the monograph “A Gift of Dialogue” published by the Greenleaf Center. David has a chapter “Foresight, the Leader that the Leader Has.” in a Greenleaf Center anthology, Focus on Leadership, Servant-Leadership for the 21st Century (John Wiley, 2002). He wrote a book endorsement in the Silver Anniversary edition of Robert Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness (Paulist, 2002).

 

He chairs the Spiritual Renewal Team of the Atlantic Northeast District of the Church of the Brethren and chaired the Renovare Conference with Richard Foster in 2000. He is on the board of the Lighthouse Vocational Services for adults with developmental disabilities in New Holland, PA.

 

David has been described as one with an inner peace and a burning center, one who helps cast a vision and helps others get on board, enthusiastic, one with compassion for people spiritually and pastorally, strong in preaching, teaching and writing, one with energy and organization.