Ned Allyn Parker has been in service to higher education and the church for 25 years. In the academy he has filled roles in student services, admissions, retention, chaplaincy, fundraising, communications, church relations, and knowledge creation. He has taught and lectured in a variety of courses, but his principal focus is the intersection of storytelling in community formation and justice work. Ned also pastored several churches, and for seven years was one of the pastors of Seattle First Baptist Church in downtown Seattle, WA.
Before entering seminary, Ned fulfilled two of his childhood dreams - 1) He was an archaeologist, studying midwifery and storytelling in arid environments, during which time he conducted most of his research and field work in Chaco Canyon (New Mexico) and Yesilah (Bronze Age site about two hours north of Amman, Jordan). 2) He was a fire fighter in Amherst, MA, dispatched on Engine 4 and Ladder 1.
Ned currently does consulting for seminary development offices, and leads workshops on the use of storytelling in preaching and worship. When not at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Ned can be found pouring through books by and about J.R.R. Tolkien, serving as a chaplain for first responders, and taking his dog Lucky for long drives with the windows down.
