Rev. Dr. Ken G. Crawford |
Wherever your journey leads, you don’t have to walk alone.
“Jesus said, ‘I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly,’ and, ‘that my joy may be in you, that your joy may be complete.’* Wherever you find yourself on life’s journey, my desire is to help you hear, embrace, and live out these truths to the fullest extent possible. I believe that God’s desire is for us to thrive, not just survive. I also believe that we do this together, or not at all. We cannot truly thrive in isolation without community. Nor can we find the fullness of God for us when others are suffering.” Rev. Dr. Ken G. Crawford came to Central with experience serving as a long term pastor, leading in nonprofits, and coaching congregations in the midst of renewal. He takes seriously the message from Jeremiah 29 – “Seek the welfare of the city, for as the city is blessed so you will be blessed.” His ministry includes counseling, life coaching and spiritual direction with individuals and groups, as well as organizational strategic planning rooted in a missional perspective. |
Ken and his wife Laura have two children. Camille is a student at Texas Tech University (get yer guns up!) and Russell is a high school student in Allen. Laura teaches language arts at the middle school level. They’ve lived in Allen since 2002, and look forward to moving in close to Central when their son graduates from Allen High School. In the meantime, he’s actively engaging Dallas and the Park Cities through both work and recreation.
Ken’s hobbies include sailing at White Rock Lake, swimming, running and cycling, playing guitar, and writing. He likes the idea of gardening, yard work and being a handyman around the house, but in practice finds it gets old pretty quickly. When you come by his office there’s no telling what kind of music you’ll hear playing – and he’d love to get your recommendations from what’s in rotation on your play list. When he’s not at church, you’ll find him somewhere around Dallas or the Park Cities, at a coffee shop or other hangout. Again, he’d love to visit your favorite places around town.
Ken believes deeply that the mainline church is at the cusp of dramatic transformation which can, if we will embrace it, be a powerful vehicle for God’s unfolding grace in the world. This will not be an easy process, but Ken is committed to being a participant and leader, and is excited about the possibilities here at Central Christian Church to be just such a congregation. In this vein, as an extension of and asset to his work at Central, Ken offers leadership with several local nonprofits, including the Institute for Vital Ministry and the Missional Wisdom Foundation.
His research areas include how we discern and live out our vocations, and how the church can embrace innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset to experience increased effectiveness in ministry. He is interested in how ministry leaders, both clergy and laity, can be trained for and live sustainably as the church passes through these generations of transition from the 20th century model to become whatever is next. At the center of his work is a model he developed for understanding human flourishing called “The Synchronous Life.” It includes process tools for use by individuals and groups seeking to live more deeply in harmony and vitality.
Ken earned his Doctor of Ministry from PerkinsSchool of Theology at SMU, where he wrote is doctoral thesis entitled Transforming Vocations: Journeys in the New Pastoral Economy: Conversations with clergy moving from traditional parish ministry toward ‘what’s next, which you can find at AltrCall.org. His Master of Divinity degree is from Brite Divinity School at TCU, where he focused on Ethics and Borderland Studies. His Bachelor of General Studies is from TexasTech with emphases in sociology, psychology, the humanities, and architecture. His Senior Thesis, entitled “The Socialization of the Homeless,” is a study of how communities of practice teach life skills, and how the church can be such a community to people seeking new ways of being in the world. Current writing projects include a biography of his great grandfather W.E. Garrison, and several works in a series around vocation and human flourishing in society at large, and in the church.
You can learn more about Ken’s ministry background and range of interests at KenGCrawford.com .
Ken’s hobbies include sailing at White Rock Lake, swimming, running and cycling, playing guitar, and writing. He likes the idea of gardening, yard work and being a handyman around the house, but in practice finds it gets old pretty quickly. When you come by his office there’s no telling what kind of music you’ll hear playing – and he’d love to get your recommendations from what’s in rotation on your play list. When he’s not at church, you’ll find him somewhere around Dallas or the Park Cities, at a coffee shop or other hangout. Again, he’d love to visit your favorite places around town.
Ken believes deeply that the mainline church is at the cusp of dramatic transformation which can, if we will embrace it, be a powerful vehicle for God’s unfolding grace in the world. This will not be an easy process, but Ken is committed to being a participant and leader, and is excited about the possibilities here at Central Christian Church to be just such a congregation. In this vein, as an extension of and asset to his work at Central, Ken offers leadership with several local nonprofits, including the Institute for Vital Ministry and the Missional Wisdom Foundation.
His research areas include how we discern and live out our vocations, and how the church can embrace innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset to experience increased effectiveness in ministry. He is interested in how ministry leaders, both clergy and laity, can be trained for and live sustainably as the church passes through these generations of transition from the 20th century model to become whatever is next. At the center of his work is a model he developed for understanding human flourishing called “The Synchronous Life.” It includes process tools for use by individuals and groups seeking to live more deeply in harmony and vitality.
Ken earned his Doctor of Ministry from PerkinsSchool of Theology at SMU, where he wrote is doctoral thesis entitled Transforming Vocations: Journeys in the New Pastoral Economy: Conversations with clergy moving from traditional parish ministry toward ‘what’s next, which you can find at AltrCall.org. His Master of Divinity degree is from Brite Divinity School at TCU, where he focused on Ethics and Borderland Studies. His Bachelor of General Studies is from TexasTech with emphases in sociology, psychology, the humanities, and architecture. His Senior Thesis, entitled “The Socialization of the Homeless,” is a study of how communities of practice teach life skills, and how the church can be such a community to people seeking new ways of being in the world. Current writing projects include a biography of his great grandfather W.E. Garrison, and several works in a series around vocation and human flourishing in society at large, and in the church.
You can learn more about Ken’s ministry background and range of interests at KenGCrawford.com .