Rev. Dr. Bryan Demeritte
Consulting Minister
Bryan is an experienced clergy person, scholar, educator, theologian, consultant, spiritual director, and pastoral counselor. Ordained in 2005 as a minister in the United Church of Christ, his career as clergy includes the pastoring of 5 churches, and now he continues working as a pastoral associate for congregations who are seeking transition in their current and future ministries. In addition to his ministerial work, for over 30 years, Bryan served as a K12 public school teacher, as well as site and district level administrator in the 7thlargest school district in the United States. Currently, he chairs the humanities and social sciences department of a non-traditional online undergraduate school as well as instructing seminary courses at three different graduate institutions for students working toward their Master of Divinity degrees. Bryan’s current pastoral consultant ministry work includes religious education programming, innovative strategic planning and discernment, visioning/re-visioning congregational culture and ministries, community action programming, social media outreach, live-streaming programming, LGBTQIA+ outreach, regenerative agriculture, cooperative community gardening, emerging worship styles, religious music re-invention, spiritual direction/guided meditation and so much more. Bryan is currently seeking a transfer of standing from his current status as an ordained minister in the Progressive Christian Alliance toward becoming an aspirant within the Unitarian Universalist Association.
After receiving both a Master of Science degree in education at Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) as well as a Master of Divinity degree in theology at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities (St. Paul, Minnesota) in preparation for ordained ministry, Bryan completed his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Practical Theology at Saint Thomas University in Miami, Florida, with special area of research concentration in revisioning religious education. Most recently, Bryan completed a Doctor of New Theology degree in “Theologies of Relationship Building” at the New Theology School (online). He is the process of publishing his dialogical dissertation from the completion of this degree.
Bryan relocated to the Twin Cities about a year ago from Tampa, Florida, in pursuit of a “forever home” with his family. His hobbies include rescuing tropical fish and other aquatics, indoor and outdoor gardening, raising rare and heritage breeds of poultry, fishing, hiking, healthy cooking, exercise, and traveling, along with spending quality time with his husband and extended family. Bryan’s primary personal objectives include his ongoing health transformation/weight loss as well as working on eventually finding a plot of rural land where he and his family can (re)establish a regenerative working hobby farm stay and community education center.