I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!
My name is Gordon Christen and I’ve been blessed to be the pastor at Swepsonville UMC since 2019. I came to Swepsonville after graduating from Duke Divinity School. Although I didn’t fully and certainly articulate a call to ministry until the past few years, God knew I was called to ministry before I did. I have always felt driven to preach, teach, and serve in the church. I grew up in southern Wisconsin and attended a small United Methodist church which constantly offered me chances to serve. I felt powerfully the way a church community can shape a life and the way the extended family of the church forms us. Through the past four years and through Covid we’ve been blessed by this community and hope we’ve been a blessing to it as well.
After moving to North Carolina and spending a couple of years working in a restaurant I felt compelled to finally say yes to the calling that had always been there. Although I thought I might pursue a career as a teacher or professor, enrolling at Duke Divinity School further clarified a call to pastoral ministry. I have never felt more fulfilled or felt the Spirit more deeply than when I am serving God’s people. I am passionate about God’s word and the Church and take great joy in preaching, worshipping, and singing. My earnest prayer is that people will continue to experience the presence of God in and through the life of SUMC.
I got my undergraduate degree in Religious Studies from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN where I met my wife Erin. Erin is an ICU nurse at UNC. In her free time she likes to sew, knit, or take on a new (and expensive)
crafting hobby. We have a daughter and cat who sometimes get along.