About Our Interim Minister

The Rev. Dr. David A. Johnson, Accredited Interim Minister (AIM)

Our Fellowship has entered a two-year period of ministerial transition. The Board of Trustees has contracted with Rev. David Johnson to serve as our consultant as we focus our attention upon two parallel initiatives during 2010-2012: (a) congregational development; and (b) ministerial search/settlement. Rev. Johnson will work with the Board and with the Transition Team to discern the Fellowship's evolving needs and opportunities during this period of transition, and to schedule events aimed at addressing the necessary developmental tasks. Please follow the Transition Team link for information on these tasks, and upcoming opportunities.

Rev. Johnson comes to Winston-Salem to begin his ninth year as an Interim Minister, having previously served UU congregations in transition in Portage MI, Birmingham AL, Plantation FL, Bloomington IL, and Athens GA. He brings four primary emphases to his consultative work:

1) Appreciative Inquiry: Identifying and building upon successes, enthusiasm, and vision. A
strength-based approach to money, teamwork, and achieving results.

2) Family Systems and Healthy Congregations: Moving beyond linear, cause/effect thinking, and
engaging the complexities of systems approaches to fostering healthy organisms / organizations.

3) Fostering Leadership in Times of Change: Coaching leaders toward healthier ways of
functioning, regardless of the particular problems / crises / personalities that seem to be the issue.

4) Process / Relational Theology: A deeply humanistic approach to life's dilemmas, liberating us
from victim-hood and placing responsibility squarely upon our shoulders, and in our hands, to make a
difference -- and thereby to make our values real.

While Rev. Johnson's contractual responsibilities focus on preparing the Fellowship for a
successful ministerial search and settlement, he also gives high priority to several tasks of settled
ministry, including: preparing / leading Sunday services; pastoral care; administrative / organizational
development; staff supervision and support; and connecting with UUA and UUMA staff / resources
within Thomas Jefferson District and continent-wide.

Prior to becoming trained as a specialist in interim ministry, Rev. Johnson served for fifteen
years as settled minister at the Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church in Overland Park
Kansas. His ministerial preparation was at Harvard Divinity School (1983-1987), and an internship at
the UU Church of Arlington VA.

In his first career Rev. Johnson was a research scientist. He graduated from MIT (S.B., S.M.,
1966) and the University of California (Ph.D., 1971), and was a staff scientist at Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution (1971-1989) and the National Science Foundation (1977-1978). He is the
author of 45 publications in marine geology, sedimentology, and micropaleontology.
The Johnson family continues to make their home in Overland Park Kansas. Dave and his wife
Diann have been married for 43 years and have two adult children, Melanie (28) and Stefan (24), and
an assortment of fiercely independent household cats.

Dave is a singer, golfer, tennis player, and hiker. He is eager to meet personally with all
Fellowship members and friends. Please contact him at revdaj@aol.com, or at 336-306-2665, and
arrange a convenient time to meet with him.