BIO

Dr. Jeffrey Byerly was born and raised on a small farm in eastern Lancaster County. He feels at home within the community and rural setting of southern Schuylkill County. He is married to Tasha and has two adult children, Ashley and Erin.

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After graduating from high school in 1979, Jeff pursued an education in engineering and computer technology. He was employed by Ford Electronics Corporation in Lansdale, PA and Digital Equipment Corporation in Burlington, VT.

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Jeff was licensed to preach in the Evangelical Congregational Church in 1986, where he now serves as an Ordained Elder, having graduated from Evangelical Seminary in 2000 with a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree, and most recently with a Doctor of Theology Degree (Th.D.) in 2021. Jeff continues to research and develop his understanding about how religious organizations can best develop leaders and navigate the future within a changing North American culture.

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Jeff recently had served the EC Church as the Ministerial Development Associate (2016-2022), overseeing the credentialing process for each pastor from beginning to end. In this role, he worked closely with the Bishop to develop the processes for men and women to follow their callings and move toward ordination. They also worked to develop proactive resources for pastoral health, as well as disciplinary and restorative processes for pastors who lapse or struggle in their pastoral roles. Having been trained as a church health facilitator, he teaches the Congregational Health course in the Institute for Church Leadership in partnership with Kairos University.​

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Currently, Jeff is semi-retired, helping as a substitute teacher at the Pine Grove Area School District, where Tasha works as a personl care aide. In his spare time, Jeff explores ways to bring the Spirit's influence upon his life to bear on various communities through such endeavors as The Fringe Collective and Earthen Vessels, a ministry to provide a place of refuge to weary servants of God.

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Jeff loves traveling, fishing, kayaking, writing, listening to music, and vacationing on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.