ABOUT BEN DREW
Ben grew up in the Chicago region of NW Indiana, born to a family of ministers and educators. He was raised in the Church and began to take hold of his faith as a teen through leadership in his local youth group and as a bass player in the Sunday worship band. These small opportunities for leadership led to his discernment of God’s call on his life as an ordained minister. Before beginning his seminary education, Ben served for six years in various church staff and pastoral roles including youth ministry in the Chicago suburbs and church planting in Portland, OR. Now, in his final semester of education at Princeton Theological Seminary, he is eager to draw upon his diverse experience in vocational and volunteer ministry as a Minister of Word and Sacrament. As a minister, Ben is passionate about knowing the people who make up a community and collaboratively discovering innovative solutions to problems. In his free time, Ben can usually be found in the woods hiking, running, or cycling, but when resting at home, he is likely mending clothes, cooking up a storm, or playing a board game with friends.
The PNC and Ben feel the Holy Spirit has led us to this partnership. The PNC unanimously voted yes for Ben’s candidacy following numerous interactions with Ben, including a review of his statement of faith and other written responses, listening to his sermons, holding virtual and in person interviews, and conducting reference checks. Through these interactions, Ben’s values, ministry philosophy, and cooperative leadership approach stood out as strongly aligned with MBPPC’s identity and mission. Ben demonstrates a genuine commitment to compassionate community engagement, care for marginalized neighbors, and accessible, meaningful engagement with Scripture. Ben’s curiosity, reflective spirituality, and justice-oriented approach also position him as a lifelong learner and thoughtful communicator who can connect with people with diverse perspectives and foster mutual understanding. Most importantly, Ben is drawn to and energized by the very qualities that make MBPPC distinctive—its compassion, community focus, and desire to live out Christ’s call in tangible ways.
During our interactions Ben asked thoughtful questions to learn about our community, values, and history. He explored our expectations for our Pastor, and understood MBPPC’s strengths, such as our priority for service with the community, our music programs, and opportunities, such as building our congregation and youth programs. Ben has been equally reflective about God’s plan for his path and has indicated he feels called to MBPPC as the right use of his talents and strengths as shepherd for our congregation.
Ben is a graduating senior at Princeton Theological Seminary and will be completing all coursework by December 2026. The call for Ben will be conditional upon his completion of these steps. Upon being formally called to MBPPC’s Pastor role, Ben would start as a Staff Director on February 1st, 2027. In this role, Ben will lead MBPPC staff, operations, and worship, with an Ordained Pastor present to lead Session and to administer sacraments such as Communion. Following his certification by his home church in Chicago and ordination in the Seattle Presbytery, Ben will convert to the full MBPPC Pastor role.