About Me
I am Joe Tiedemann. A follower of the Way who currently resides in Central New Jersey and is the pastor of an old church and a new church. Trinity United Methodist Church in Spotswood has been around for over 135 years and is a small church in a small town with a big ministry. Monroe Community Church is a church that was planted in 2003 and (more or less) launched at Easter in 2006. You can read more about the ministries at their respective websites or come for a visit.
I attended Seton Hall University and have a BA in Political Science and a MA in Counseling Psychology. From there I worked for a bit as a Family and Individual Counselor. After that I went for Fuller Theological Seminary for three years (I just had to live in LA as part of my spiritual quest) then came back to NJ and received a MDiv from New Brunswick Theological Seminary.
My church background is United Methodist and the church I grew up in was Manasquan United Methodist.
Some interests I have are environmentalism, triathlons, and open-source software.
Environmentalism is a passion of mine because it directly connects to stewardship of the planet and calls us to use our resources in a locally responsible way for the global good. It pushes me to think about the incredible connection we all have together and how something as mundane as water use or turning on a light connects us all together in many deep ways. I love the Book of Disciplines statements about the environment, although I don’t think it goes far enough.
When it comes to triathlons, I am training and racing. I am slow, but I am old and just started a few short years ago. I am hoping to race in a half-ironman this summer.
My computer background is not all that comprehensive, but I do like to play. So, back in the day I played with hardware and built some machines. I’ve played with software and on the web. Recently, I have been concerned with the theological issues surrounding the stewardship of the church and the use of open-source software. I am using Linux (Kubuntu) and it functions at my job quite well - for free and based in a community with something of a biblical premise.
Open-source software has become a passion of mine due to the way most programs run on older machines efficiently and Linux is now a viable solution for incredible savings within the church. Why spend money and continue to support industries that perpetuate poverty and hinder educational advancement for corporate gain, when the church can be a leader in the open-source revolution.
I have a Facebook page.
