Rev. Michael Anthony Howard

Pastor, writer, and place-based leader at the intersection of faith and public life

Leadership Profile

Senior pastor, teacher, and organizational leader with over twenty years of continuous ministry and institutional leadership experience across congregational, regional, nonprofit, and academic contexts. Michael’s work centers on building leadership cultures that increase shared capacity, reduce burnout, and translate vision into sustainable practice.

His leadership spans pastoral ministry, staff and systems development, community organizing, and place-based public theology. He has served in senior and associate pastoral roles, regional leadership and consulting positions, higher education administration, and nonprofit governance—often working at moments of transition, complexity, or organizational strain.

Across Methodist, United Church of Christ, ecumenical, and interfaith settings, Michael is known for helping leaders and communities move from scarcity-driven models toward collaborative, resilient forms of leadership grounded in trust, accountability, and shared responsibility.

Ministerial Standing & Formation

Associate General Minister, Rev. Dr. David Popham, issuing Michael’s Certificate of Ordination in 2018 at Brookside Community Church.

Ministry formation across Pentecostal, Methodist, United Church of Christ, ecumenical, and interfaith contexts, with an emphasis on preaching, teaching, pastoral care, and leadership development.

  • Ordained Minister, United Church of Christ
    (2018–present)

  • Licensed Local Pastor / Provisional Elder Track, United Methodist Church
    (2006–2018)

  • Commissioned Minister, Faith Fellowship / Full Gospel Church, Danville, KY
    (2004–2006)

  • Pentecostal, Ecumenical, and Interfaith Ministry, Youth With A Mission (YWAM)
    (2004–2006)

Leadership Development & Capacity-Building
(2019–Present)

This work reflects sustained engagement with pastors, congregations, and institutions navigating transition, decline, growth, or structural change.

Conference, Regional, and Community-Based Ministry | Regional Contexts

  • Served as a leadership resource to pastors and congregations navigating decline, staff overload, and institutional complexity

  • Trained clergy and lay leaders in asset-based community development, partnership formation, and organizing practices

  • Built and facilitated multiple organizing clusters connecting congregations, nonprofits, and civic partners

  • Coached leaders to shift from scarcity-driven leadership toward shared, capacity-building models

  • Supported congregations in reframing property and facilities as assets for mission and partnership rather than liabilities

Regional and National Leadership on Social Ecology, Creation Care, and Place-Based Ministry

  • Regularly taught classes, spoke at national events, and presented at local and regional conferences about Climate Change, Prophetic Witness, and the Ministry of Place.

  • Continue in 2026 to be invited to give local, regional, and national presentations on interreligious dialogue and the future of Christianity in public life.

Michael teams up with a group of community leaders from Akron to meet with faith leaders and legislators from across the state at the 2025 Legislators’ Luncheon, held in partnership with the Hunger Network, the Heartland Conference, and the Ohio Council of Churches.

Retreat in 2025 with youth from Christ United Church of Christ in Orrville, participated in a creation retreat led by Michael and the staff of the Community Life Collaborative. The event was held at the Family Life Center, an amazing ministry outgrowth of the Federated Church of Chagrin Falls.

Pastoral Ministry & Staff Leadership
(2006-2019)

Pastoral leadership roles with responsibility for preaching, staff supervision, systems development, and congregational culture in multi-charge and multi-staff contexts.

Interim Pastor

Brookside United Church of Christ, Brookside, NJ
2017–2019

  • Served as interim pastor during a period of congregational transition

  • Provided pastoral, organizational, and staff-adjacent leadership

  • Supported staff and lay leaders through systems stabilization, governance discernment, and visioning

  • Prepared congregation for next phase of leadership with attention to culture, sustainability, and shared responsibility

  • Provided pastoral and organizational leadership during congregational transition

  • Supported staff and lay leaders through systems stabilization and discernment

Associate Pastor

Trinity United Methodist Church, Mullica Hill, NJ
2015–2016

  • Served on senior staff of a large (2,000+ membership), multi-staff congregation

  • Oversaw communications staff and volunteer teams (website redevelopment, print publications, digital media)

  • Led worship technology, sound, and media teams supporting weekly services

  • Helped design and launch new ministries, including pastoral care and congregational engagement initiatives

  • Built operational systems that clarified staff roles, improved collaboration, and reduced over-reliance on pastoral control

Senior Pastor

Trinity United Methodist Church, Rahway, NJ
2014–2015

  • Served as senior pastoral leader with responsibility for staff coordination, administration, and congregational leadership

Local Pastor (Three-Point Charge)

Hillsboro Charge, United Methodist Church, KY
2008–2011

  • Provided pastoral leadership across a three-church charge

  • Managed administrative reporting, worship planning, and congregational coordination

Assistant Pastor of Families and Youth

Lawrenceburg United Methodist Church, KY
2006–2007

  • Oversaw youth-praise band and led worship for 3 services weekly

  • Led annual youth retreats and coordinated multiple regional events

  • Led weekly bible studies, youth programs, and family gatherings

Academic & Institutional Leadership

Academic and administrative leadership roles focused on program development, assessment, faculty supervision, and community-facing education.

Department Chair & Program Director

Morehead State University
2010–2011

  • Served as the founding Chair of the Developmental Reading Department

  • Directly supervised three faculty members

  • Directed the Developmental Education Program and Summer Success Academy

  • Coordinated faculty from multiple departments toward shared program outcomes

  • Led assessment processes and reported outcomes to university and state-level bodies

  • Partnered with the Center for Regional Engagement on community-facing education initiatives

  • Partnered with the Center for Regional Engagement on community-facing education initiatives

  • Served on the Kentucky Council for Post Secondary Education

  • Presented research findings at state and national conferences

  • Secured $80K in grant awards to create a new platform for student support services

Instructor of Mathematics and Development Education

Morehead State University
2002-2004; 2007-2010

  • Instructed developmental mathematics courses

  • Coordinated student support resources

  • Direct oversight of tutoring lab and student workforce

  • Overseeing department-wide testing and software resources

Teacher and Department Chair: Mathematics and Science

Christian Academy of Lawrenceburg
2006-2007

  • Taught 6-8th grade mathematics and physical science

  • Coordinated curriculum guidelines for math and science classes

  • Developed updated science education plan for college readiness

  • Won National Christian Association’s Geometry Teachers’ Award (2007)

Community Organizing & Partnership Leadership

Long-term community organizing and partnership work connecting congregations, nonprofits, civic institutions, and public spaces through asset-based and place-centered approaches.

  • Co-Founder & Board Member, Cascade Commons Community Development Corporation (2019–present)

    • Developed community-based programs including summer camps in partnership with the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Friends of Elizabeth Park

    • Built partnerships with environmental organizations, nonprofits, and development entities

  • Founder, Friends of Elizabeth Park, Akron, OH (2019–present)

    • Organized community stewardship, programming, and partnerships around public green space

  • Founder, Rahway Municipal Clergy Council, Rahway, NJ (2014)

  • Co-Founder, Your Place at the Table (2016)

    • Helped establish 501(c)(3) structure, governance, data systems, and inventory management for food distribution ministry

  • Co-Founder, Ugali Creative (2016–2019)

    • Provided media design, web development, and communications support for nonprofits and small businesses

  • Ongoing consulting and media design for development and community organizations in Summit County, OH

Education

Formal education grounding pastoral ministry in theology, public administration, and quantitative analysis.

Master of Divinity
Drew Theological School (2014)
Honors: Theology Student Award

Master of Public Administration
Morehead State University (2010)
Specialization: Federalism & Public Affairs (multi-entity governance, nonprofit leadership)
Honors: Graduate Student Interdisiplinary Scholar Award

Bachelor of Science in Mathematics & Computer Programming
Morehead State University (2000)

Certifications/Trainings/Internships

  • LGBTQ+ Ally Training, UCC (2022)

  • Our Whole Lives Instructor, UCC (2023)

  • Sacred Conversations to End Racism, UCC (2020)

  • Urban Ministry Certification, Drew University (2014)

  • Global Ecumenism Intern, World Council of Churches (Malaysia), Drew University (2014)

  • School of Jewish Studies, University of the Nations (2005)

  • Seeker Groups & Church Planting, Willowcreek Church (2002)

Selected Areas of Expertise

  • Staff leadership & team development

  • Leadership culture & capacity-building

  • Church administration & governance

  • Community organizing & coalition building

  • Asset-based community development

  • Institutional and property-adjacent leadership

  • Public administration & nonprofit management

Writing & Thought Leadership

Writing, teaching, and public theology engaging questions of place, discipleship, political theology, and institutional life.

  • Leviathan: Hobbes’ Narrative of Salvation — Master’s thesis on political theology and the birth of the modern nation-state (2010)

  • Presenter and contributing author, National Association for Developmental Education (circa 2008–2009)

  • Contributor of liturgies and lectionary resources for Worship Ways (United Church of Christ)

  • Contributor, Words to Worship (multi-year liturgical publication)

Forthcoming Books, Courses, & Presentations

Current and forthcoming projects extending pastoral, theological, and community-based work into published and educational forms.

  • The Geography of Heaven: Discipleship and Wonder in the Cuyahoga Valley (Forthcoming, 2026) Good Place Publishing: Akron, OH

  • From the Sanctuary to the Street: A Guide to Building Strong, Resilient, Beloved Communities (Forthcoming, 2027) Good Place Publishing: Akron, OH

  • “Place-Based Ministry” – An online course on church outreach for the SPIRE Center program of the Living Water Association, Ohio NorthEast, United Church of Christ

  • Eco-Ecclesiology: An Interdisciplinary Proposal w/April Blain, American Missiology Conference, June 2026