| Pastor Chris' Bio |
| The Church Universal as well as the United Methodist Church as a denomination has been very important to me from my earliest memories. Both of my grandfathers were ordained clergy persons. My father’s father was ordained in the Church of Christ (The Christian Church) and served as a Chaplain in the United States Navy. He retired from the Navy with the rank of Admiral. My mother’s father was ordained in The Church of the Brethren and served several churches in the Virginia area. Although I grew up in New Jersey and my parents were attending Asbury United Methodist Church in Woodstown, my mother’s father baptized me at a very young age as a believer in The Church of the Brethren. By the time I was a teenager I was extremely active in church: I joined Asbury Church; I had a life- changing experience during a Lay Witness Mission when I was 13; I attended our Conference Sr. High camp program (where I first met my wife); I became the chairperson of our Youth Interfaith Council; and I began to go to churches in New Jersey and neighboring states as part of the Youth Team on Lay Witness Missions. As I look back with my 20/20 hindsight, God had probably been calling me into full-time ordained ministry as early as 13, but I did not respond until after I had been married and we had started a family. Linda and I met at Church Camp as teenagers and shortly after high school we decided to get married. Our plans included getting Linda through her last two years of college and for me to go back and finish my degree. God had other plans for us. We had our first daughter, Adia, 9 months after we were married. I continued to work and Linda dropped out of college in order to care for our new arrival. Three years later we decided to have another baby and we were blessed by the birth of our second daughter, Danica. Approximately 2 years later while attending an Easter worship service, I had the overwhelming feeling that God was calling me into ordained ministry within the United Methodist Church. I was excited and scared. After the service I nervously took Linda aside away from the rest of the family and sat her down. I began to explain to her the irresistible feeling of the Spirit I was having. I told her that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt God was calling me into full-time ministry. Her response was a calm, “I wondered when you were finally going to figure that out.” That began our journey into full-time service. One thing I did not know when I began exploring how to become a pastor in the United Methodist Church was that you needed a 96-credit masters degree, a Master of Divinity. Well…I had only one year of college and had been out of school for 5 years. To make a long story short, it took me from 1983 until 1992 to receive my Bachelors Degree and from 1992 until 1996 to receive my Masters. I was ordained a Deacon in 1996 and an Elder in 1998. I received my Associates in English Humanities from Salem County Community College, my Bachelors from Thomas Edison State College, and my Masters from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. I have served student appointments as the Assistant Pastor at Clonmell UMC in Gibbstown and Trinity UMC in Pennsville. I have served as the Senior Pastor of Buckshutem UMC, First UMC of Port Norris, and Pemberton UMC. I next was appointed by the Bishop to the position of Coordinator of Outreach Ministry on the Bishop’s Staff of our Annual Conference where I directed the 9/11 Long-Term Recovery Program for 3 years. I have also served in the United States Coast Guard as an enlisted reservist for 18 years and the United States Navy as a commissioned officer and chaplain for more than 11 years. During my Navy Reserve time I served as the Executive Officer of Marine Expeditionary Forces Religious Atlantic Detachment “A” with a gaining command of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC; Battalion Chaplain for the 6th Communications Battalion, Fourth FSSG, Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn; Chaplain for the Navy's Combat Logistics Squadron, Earl Navy Weapons Station, Colts Neck, NJ; and for a Personnel Mobilization Team at Navy Reserve Center, Fort Dix, NJ. I most recently (2005) transferred to the United States Air Force where I serve as the Wing Chaplain for the 108th Air Refueling Wing of the NJ Air National Guard at McGuire Air Force Base. I am very excited about the way God has been moving in my life. I fully believe that it is the Holy Spirit who has sustained me in my call to ministry and has brought me into the life of First UMC, Delran. I have heard wonderful things about the worship and the spirituality of this church. It is with great humility and love that I come to you to serve as your pastor. Please continue to uphold Ted and Mary, First UMC, and me and my family as we prepare for the changes that God is bringing into our lives. Grace and Peace, Rev. Christopher L. Miller |
