We are open-minded witnesses to God’s spirit and this church stands as a testimony to religious pluralism, social freedom, political justice, and cultural diversity. This community seeks to celebrate inclusiveness by offering a spiritual home to those who are marginalizes, have been hurt by their previous religious experiences, have been abused spiritually, or who question the nature of God on their own terms. We are dedicated to providing sacred space for worship, fellowship, and community service.
Dr. Greaver, (PsyD, MDiv, BSW) holds a Doctorate of Psychology from the Graduate Theological Foundation (GTF) in Mishawaka, Indiana. GTF is an affiliate of Oxford University, England.
Rev. Greaver is a Lutheran and has been an ordained pastor for over 20 years receiving a Masters of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) and ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Rev. Greaver is a Congregationalist and currently a rostered clergy of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (NACCC).
Dr. Greaver has been active in Social Work & Family Systems for over 30 years and graduated with a Bachelors of Social Work and a Bachelors of Psychology from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota.
Chaplain Greaver’s chaplaincy experiences began 30 years ago while taking a unit of pre-Clinical Pastoral Education at St. Lukes Hospital in Fargo, North Dakota.
Chaplain Greaver served in the armed forces as a United States Air Force Chaplain for 10 years in the USAF-Reserves graduating from the USAF Chaplains School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.
Dr. Greaver is the Founding Spiritual Co-Chancellor of the Academy of Holistic Sciences. He is a professor of the Institute of Chaplaincy & Pastoral Training, and a professor of the Institute of Spiritual Direction & Training.
Professor Greaver is a member of the Nautilus Pacific Chapter of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy (CPSP) and is a CPSP – Supervisor in Training. His training supervisor is Dr. David Franzen who is a member of CPSP’s Chapel Hill Chapter, NC.
Supervisor Greaver is the Director of the Clinical Pastoral Education Training Center (CPE-TC). The CPE-TC’s central office is in Tacoma, Washington, and has affiliate offices in Caroline, Alberta, and Reno, Nevada. Supervisor Greaver taught his first group of students the art of spiritual care over 20 years ago through Barnabas Ministries. Barnabas Ministries is a national group of trained lay church volunteers that offer pastoral care to parish members.
Rev. Greaver is a Regional Servant Leader of Progressive Christian Alliance Northwest, (PCAN). PCAN is an online community of progressive Christians that are united in a movement for the common good, with social activism and mindful internal examination as key components. PCAN has relationships in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon Territories.
Dr. Greaver offers Clinical Pastoral Psychotherapy, Pastoral Counseling, and Spiritual Direction on a case-by-case, no-fee, donation basis through First Congregational Church Tacoma’s Spiritual Sanctuary. The Spiritual Sanctuary serves the city of Tacoma and its neighboring communities by offering a spiritual home to several local congregations. It envisions itself as transdenominationa, interfaith, integral, holistic, emergent, liberal, and progressive.
Rev. Greaver grew up in Erskine, M.N., steeped in the history of the church. He was baptized, confirmed, and ordained Lutheran. He has spent a life-time synthesizing and integrating the uniqueness of religion, spirituality, and multiple faith groups.
Dr. Greaver was a Chaplain for Franciscan Health System (FHS) from 1998 to October of 2013, and carried out his ministry for them at Catholic Community Service’s – Homeless Adult Services (H.A.S.), and at St. Joseph Medical Center.
Through H.A.S. he served the homeless community at the Hospitality Kitchen, Nativity House, and Tacoma Avenue Shelter. Chaplain Greaver has also been a Supervisor Candidate with the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education beginning in 2010.
As a Clinical Pastoral Educator he has supervised student intern and resident chaplains for FHS at St. Joseph Medical Center, St. Clare Hospital, St. Elizabeth Hospital, St. Francis Hospital, St. Anthony Hospital, and the Hospice House. He also has supervised chaplains for Catholic Community Service’s, Homeless Adult Services programs, Nativity House, Tacoma Avenue Shelter, and the Hospitality Kitchen.
In October 2013 Chaplain Greaver left FHS and while maintaining his church in Tacoma, he flew back and forth weekly to Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, in Reno, Nevada where he began a Clinical Pastoral Education Center for them there carving it out from the ground up. While in Reno, during his personal time, he implemented a new way for chaplains to assess the spiritual needs of the individual called, “Holistic Integral Spiritual Care”. After 15 months of flying back and forth, Rev. Greaver decided to focus his attention exclusively in Tacoma, WA.
Dr. Greaver has worked extensively with some of the most marginalized people of our society. While in Chicago and during his seminary training he worked extensively for Universal Family Connection’s, Agent Orange Class Assistance Program, where he counseled Vietnam Veterans who suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and suffered from a whole range of chemical and psychological problems. He also worked with the children who had birth defects due to their parents Agent Orange exposure. As an associate member of the Vietnam Veterans of America he assisted over 1500 Vietnam Veterans in obtaining their benefits as a Service Representative, trained at the American Law University, Washington, D.C.
During his time at seminary he took Clinical Pastoral Education at the University of Chicago’s Medical Center working with trauma victims, and was a part of the Rape and Abuse Crisis team. His internship for his M.Div. was at First Lutheran Church of Pontiac, Illinois where he established a Barnabas Ministry which continues to this day. Barnabas Ministry trains lay people to visit members of their church who are sick or shut-in, as lay ministers.Pastor Greaver’s first call was to a two point parish in south-eastern Minnesota where he worked at two country churches, Bear Lake Lutheran of Albert Lea, M.N., and St. Paul Lutheran of Conger, M.N. During this time he worked as an Industrial Chaplain for Hudson Foods, Tyson Foods, and Schweigert Foods. He further joined the United States Air Force Reserves. He later moved to South Dakota, where he was employed at Zion Lutheran of Scotland, S.D., and St. Dysmas of South Dakota at the Mike Durfee State Prison. During this time he also worked at the Yankton State Prison, the Yankton Federal Prison (Federal Bureau of Prisons), the South Dakota State Penitentiary, and supervised chaplains at the Rapid City State Prison.
Professor Greaver currently utilizes his training in Clinical Pastoral Education as builds a Clinical Pastoral Education Training Center centered out of the Tacoma based Spiritual Sanctuary. He has received certification with the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (CPSP), as a Supervisor-in-Training. He is a member of the Nautilus Pacific Chapter of CPE, and his Academy of Holistic Sciences is provisionally accredited through them. His Training Supervisor that oversees his work is Dr. Rev. David Franzen a Supervisor Diplomate for the Chapel Hill NC Chapter of CPSP.
The Academy of Holistic Sciences, Clinical Pastoral Education Training Center will be offering Clinical Pastoral Education / Training through CPSP with Supervisor Bill facilitating its inaugural group of 6 beginning in January. This will be an Extended Unit with students placed in 3 locations: Tacoma, WA, Reno, NV, and Caroline, Alberta. Reno, Nevada, and Caroline, Alberta becoming satellites of the Tacoma based Clinical Pastoral Education Training Center.
Some of pastor Bill’s favorite subjects are: Progressive, Post-Modern, Dialectic, Dialogic, Holistic, Systems, Spirituality, and Developmental. Professor Bill’s favorite thing to say is that we are ontologically bio-psycho-socio-spiritual beings.
He and his wife Sharon live in Tacoma, and they love spending time at Quinault, Washington. He enjoys playing bass guitar, reading, and collecting books at Good Will. His favorite authors are Deepak Chopra, Ken Wilber, Robert Kegan, Carl Jung, Wayne Dyer, Michael Beckwith, The Bible, the Tao, and Dave Kolb. Click here to contact Pastor Bill.
Rev. Greaver has 2 adult daughters one who live in Yankton, SD, and the other who is attending college in Iowa.
Rev. Dr. William (Bill) Greaver, III
Rev. Lori Erwin-Johnson, M.S.
Rev. Erwin-Johnson is an ordained minister who has been ordained by First Congregational Church of Tacoma (FCC). FCC is a member of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches. She is also a recognized ordained minister of the Progressive Christian Alliance of which she is also a Regional Servant Leader for.
Professor Erwin-Johnson holds a Master of Science in Psychology, and is currently writing a dissertation towards obtaining a PhD in Psychology, with an emphasis on cognition and learning.
Rev. Erwin-Johnson currently serves as an Associate Pastor for First Congregational Church. Her responsibilities center on education and is currently FCC’s Director of Spiritual Education.
Rev. Erwin-Johnson is the Founding Spiritual Co-Chancellor of the Academy of Holistic Sciences where she is a professor of the Institute of Progressive Christian Studies. In addition, Professor Erwin-Johnson is a Founder of the International Progressive Christian Fellowship and the Affiliation of Global Spiritual Directors.
She is also a Regional Servant Leader of Progressive Christian Alliance Northwest, (PCAN). PCAN is an online community of progressive Christians that are united in a movement for the common good, with social activism and mindful internal examination as key components. PCAN has relationships in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon Territories.
Pastor Erwin-Johnson offers Spiritual Direction on a case-by-case, donation basis through First Congregational Church Tacoma’s Spiritual Sanctuary. The Spiritual Sanctuary serves the city of Tacoma and its neighboring communities by offering a spiritual home to several local congregations. It envisions itself as transdenominational, interfaith, integral, holistic, emergent, liberal, and progressive. She is also a certified counselor in the state of Washington and provides professional personal well-being counseling in her private practice.
Pastor Lori and her husband Rick have four grown children and are caregivers to two dogs. They are also owned by one very independent cat. She enjoys studying religion and spirituality, as well as, teaching progressive Christian theology and practices. Her favorite Christian authors are Cynthia Bourgeault, Marcus Borg, John Shelby Spong, Brian McLaren, Diana Butler Bass, John Dominic Crossan, and Robin Meyers. She also enjoys reading about spirituality from authors such as Michael Beckwith, Karen Armstrong, Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, and Ken Wilber. She is an admirer of Joseph Campbell’s work on the power of mythology, which inspired her to pursue her passions in life.
With open-minded witness to God’s spirit, we seek to nurture the hopes and relieve the hurts of those around us, reflecting Christ’s love in word and action.