Meet David Ryder | Pastor

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Ryder and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
At Spirit of Joy we use the phrase “Service To and Through” to describe how we participate in God’s healing work in the world. Specifically, “Service To” refers to things our members do to help Spirit of Joy thrive (i.e. service to the church) whereas “Service Through” refers to the various roles members of Spirit of Joy play in Fort Collins and the world beyond our walls (service to the world through the church).

“Service To” SoJ helps us provide a space where people can struggle with hard questions, foster authentic relationships, create an inclusive community with people of different ages, stations in life, political views, gender identities, and ethnic backgrounds, and cultivate gratitude through worship.

“Service Through” most often takes the form of volunteer work in the community with established not-for-profit organizations helping to meet the needs of the broader community (our city and world). For example, members have partnered with LFS to help resettle a refugee family, the mobile laundry truck to provide laundry service to those experiencing homelessness, Mosaic to create a worship service tailored to people with cognitive disabilities and their families, as well as volunteering countless hours at places such as the FoodBank, Habitat for Humanity, etc.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The most distinctive feature of my professional journey is the dramatic turn that took place in 2007. I started my professional life in the finance industry. After graduating with an undergrad degree in business and spending four years in entry level jobs, I went on to Cornell University for my MBA, and then to NYC where I worked for a hedge fund in the early 2000’s. Things went well, I became a portfolio manager and a partner in the firm. However, there was a slow, gentle, persistent sense that I was being directed to do something different. Eventually, this developed into a discernible call to ministry. In 2007 I resigned from the hedge fund and went to seminary. After seminary, I served a church in Rochester, NY for 7 years, then came to Colorado in 2017. Spirit of Joy is home; I absolutely love this congregation and hope to be here for as long as I’m working as a pastor.

I am hesitant to make attempts to generalize what others could learn or what I would hope they could know from my story. I do not think everyone in the business world should leave it and go to seminary. However, if there are a general lessons to be found, perhaps I would say this: God does unexpected things and sometimes those things make no sense… they are hard and create challenges, but faith and trust (even imperfectly applied) can lead to a fulfillment of purpose; you’re never too far down a road to change direction.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Where I would want to be sure to take a visitor would partially depend on the time of year they visited. If looking to introduce a visitor to the SoJ community, I would hope they would come in mid-December so they could join us for Beer and Carols at Avogadro’s Number. I’d also make a point to show them Old Town Fort Collins, all lit up. If in the summer, and the friend was in good shape, I’d encourage them to summit a 14er with me. (I have an out of town friend who flies in once/year to do just that – we start at ~2am to summit at sunrise).

For food, I would make a point of getting them to the Windsor Mill Tavern for a casual meal and Chimney Park (I so hope Jason can re-open soon!) for a high end tasting menu. I’d also like to take the to a drive up the canyon, maybe with a stop at the Mish. Finally, La Buena Vida and/or Blue Agave would ensure they enjoy great Mexican food while here.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
If I’m speaking on behalf of myself, the entire Spirit of Joy community deserves credit for how this church has thrived. A feature of this community is the wide range of gifts people have and the generous ways in which they put those gifts to work. Our musicians who volunteer their time each week to lead worship, people who put their career skills to work in service of our community (building maintenance, city permitting for property improvements, graphic art, etc..), our ministry team leaders who make various ministries happen, and our Community Group leaders who cultivate deep, genuine relationships among our members – all of these folks make the day to day work of the church happen..

If I’m speaking on behalf of SoJ and giving our corporate shout out to sources of support we have found that help us live our mission, two books come to mind: Canoeing the Mountains (Tod Boslinger) and The Prodigal God (Timothy Keller). The first helped us retool our internal systems in a manner that focused us on our mission; the second is a church-wide book read this fall and is providing theological insights about God’s grace and goodness, offered always to everyone on God’s terms.

Website: https://www.sojoyfc.org

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Image Credits
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