David S. Young is an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren. A pastor for 33 years, he has served in permanent and interim positions, in small and large churches, in Maryland, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. He helped found a Hospice team out of 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 is working in a church renewal initiative called Springs of Living Water! while also being an Intentional Interim Pastor called to facilitate renewal in a local church
Since 1986, Dr. Young has served as Adjunct Professor of Spiritual Formation and Church Renewal at the Eastern (American) Baptist Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and has taught at three other seminaries, Eastern Mennonite, Bethany Theological, and Princeton Theological. He has taught at the International Conference of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership and in many other setting in the church. He 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 a call to go to Bethany Theological Seminary and earned his Master of Divinity degree with honors. During his first pastorate he gained a keen 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 and was selected by Dr. Forbes to the Master Preacher series at Auburn/Union Theological Seminary in New York City.
Dr. Young has authored three books, edited and wrote another, and has chapters in three others. He has written 34 articles in various periodicals on topics of spiritual formation, servant leadership, and church renewal. He has published sermons, 7 Easter messages. His recent publications are at the heart of his work, A New Heart and A New Spirit, A Plan for Renewing Your Church (Judson Press, 1994) and Servant Leadership for Church Renewal, Shepherds by the Living Springs (Herald Press, 1999). David has a chapter “Foresight, the Leader that the Leader Has.” in the latest anthology of the Greenleaf Center, Focus on Leadership, Servant-Leadership for the 21st Century (John Wiley, 2002). He wrote a brief book endorsement in the Silver Anniversary edition of Robert Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness (Paulist Press, 2002).
He chairs the Spiritual Renewal Team of the Atlantic Northeast District of the Church of the Brethren and chaired the Regional Renovare Conference with Richard Foster in 2000. He is on the boards of the Nehemiah Project for pastoral leadership for the American Baptist Churches, of New Life Ministries of Anabaptist Churches, and the Lighthouse Rehabilitation Center 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.
David and Joan Young have two sons and reside in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.