Rev. Dr. John D. Miller
Pastor
JOHN D. MILLER
United Methodist Pastor – retired
140 Boone’s Way, Kennerdell, PA 16374-5531
814-498-2308 (home); 724-714-2177 (cell)
[email protected]
United Methodist Pastor – retired
140 Boone’s Way, Kennerdell, PA 16374-5531
814-498-2308 (home); 724-714-2177 (cell)
[email protected]
John D. Miller is an ordained elder and full member of the W. Pa. Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Miller was pastor of the five United Methodist congregations of Wills Creek and Hyndman Grace Charge in Bedford County, 1972-1975, and of the Tionesta and West Hickory United Methodist Charge from 1975 to 1979. He was the Executive Director of Olmsted Manor, an adult retreat and renewal center in Ludlow, PA from 1979 to 2001, and senior pastor of Mt Lebanon UMC in the south hills of Pittsburgh, 2001-2006, and First UMC-New Castle, 2006 until his retirement July 1, 2010. He provided 8 months of interim pastoral care at Cranberry-Rockland Charge during Covid.
Drew University School of Theology conferred a Doctor of Ministry degree on the Reverend John D. Miller in 1993 at the Madison, N.J. campus. His project was entitled, "Discipleship with Wesleyan Roots: A Spiritual Retreat for Adults." Miller designed and implemented an adult spiritual formation retreat as his doctoral project. Utilizing the pedagogy of adult experiential education and drawing on the writings and theology of John Wesley, Miller sought to utilize Wesleyan tradition to help adults find spiritual direction as Christian disciples.
Miller received his B. A. from Grove City College in 1969 with a major in Philosophy and Religion, and the Master of Divinity degree from the Divinity School of Duke University, Durham, N.C., in 1972.
His role as senior pastor was to provide visionary leadership and energizing administration for each vital congregation. Preaching, teaching, spirituality, pastoral care and administration have engaged his parish ministry.
Miller's role as Executive Director of Olmsted Manor was to guide a ministry of hospitality which encouraged personal enrichment, strengthened the local church, enhanced global awareness, and emphasized formation by God's Spirit. Miller provided biblical, theological, and spiritual leadership for groups, coordinated ecumenical learning experiences in many countries, and administrative oversight of Olmsted Manor's program and staff.
Miller has been president of the North American Retreat Directors Association (currently Oikosnet-North America), moderated the World Collaboration Committee's planning committee for the first World Convention of Lay Centres and Academies held in Montreat, N.C., involving 400 global leaders in lay education. He has served as Chairperson of the Conference Commission on Worship and the Continuing Education Committee. Furthermore, he served as the Registrar for the Western Pennsylvania Conference United Methodist Church Board of Ordained Ministry. He was elected as a clergy delegate from the W. Pa. Conference to the 1996 General and Jurisdictional Conferences of the United Methodist Church and was a delegate to the 2000 Jurisdictional Conference. He served on the Committee on Ordained Ministry for both Kane and Pittsburgh Districts and on the Ethics Committee of St Clair Hospital, Mt. Lebanon.
Miller has received chaplaincy training at the Warren State Hospital, training in marriage enrichment with the Association of Couples for Marriage Enrichment, leader certification in Celebrating Marriage with the United Methodist Church, certification to administer and interpret the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), training in pastoral transitions with Alban's Institute, leadership training in human relations, experiential education, and group development with the Mid-Atlantic Association for Training and Consulting, and training in Christian spirituality through the Academy for Spiritual Formation sponsored by the United Methodist's Upper Room, Nashville, TN. Miller has been involved in consultations on Ministry and Spiritual Guidance. He has attended training, network, and retreat centers events in Indonesia, Korea, Hungary, Switzerland, England, Cuba, Spain, France, Mexico and the mid-east. He recently served as the Upper Room Ministries’ Retreat Leader of the two-year Academy for Spiritual Formation #21 in Maryland and as adjunct faculty for the School of Theology, Drew University
Raised in the Seneca UMC and a graduate of Cranberry HS, ‘65, Miller is the son of Helen and Donald (deceased) Miller. He is married to Diane M. Cox of Rockland, formerly the staff Coordinator of the WPA UMC Conference Volunteer in Ministry (VIM), teaching, resourcing, and leading mission teams in the USA as well as Russia, Paraguay, Haiti, Zimbabwe and the Balkans. Formerly an enrichment teacher with the Seneca Highlands IU 9, instructor in geography at the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford, and Executive Secretary for Schools of Mission and Mission Studies of the Women’s Division of the Board of Global Ministry, Diane authored the study guide for the Women’s Division India-Pakistan Mission Study and was the 2005-2007 WPA Conference Mission Ambassador to India and Pakistan. Diane has been President of the Conference United Methodist Women and Chair of the Ruth M Smith Center. Diane was elected as a lay delegate to General Conferences of 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2019. John and Diane have three children, Kelly C. Martini, free lance writer, Carrie Chelko, general counsel of Jackson National, East Lansing, MI and Adam, a practicing Veterinary MD in Warren, PA and granddaughters, Talia Celeste Martini and Sarah Dale Chelko, and grandsons, Andrew James Chelko, John David Martini, Jr., Carlos Humberto Martini and Coleman Russell Dale Miller.
Updated: 08/23/23
Miller was pastor of the five United Methodist congregations of Wills Creek and Hyndman Grace Charge in Bedford County, 1972-1975, and of the Tionesta and West Hickory United Methodist Charge from 1975 to 1979. He was the Executive Director of Olmsted Manor, an adult retreat and renewal center in Ludlow, PA from 1979 to 2001, and senior pastor of Mt Lebanon UMC in the south hills of Pittsburgh, 2001-2006, and First UMC-New Castle, 2006 until his retirement July 1, 2010. He provided 8 months of interim pastoral care at Cranberry-Rockland Charge during Covid.
Drew University School of Theology conferred a Doctor of Ministry degree on the Reverend John D. Miller in 1993 at the Madison, N.J. campus. His project was entitled, "Discipleship with Wesleyan Roots: A Spiritual Retreat for Adults." Miller designed and implemented an adult spiritual formation retreat as his doctoral project. Utilizing the pedagogy of adult experiential education and drawing on the writings and theology of John Wesley, Miller sought to utilize Wesleyan tradition to help adults find spiritual direction as Christian disciples.
Miller received his B. A. from Grove City College in 1969 with a major in Philosophy and Religion, and the Master of Divinity degree from the Divinity School of Duke University, Durham, N.C., in 1972.
His role as senior pastor was to provide visionary leadership and energizing administration for each vital congregation. Preaching, teaching, spirituality, pastoral care and administration have engaged his parish ministry.
Miller's role as Executive Director of Olmsted Manor was to guide a ministry of hospitality which encouraged personal enrichment, strengthened the local church, enhanced global awareness, and emphasized formation by God's Spirit. Miller provided biblical, theological, and spiritual leadership for groups, coordinated ecumenical learning experiences in many countries, and administrative oversight of Olmsted Manor's program and staff.
Miller has been president of the North American Retreat Directors Association (currently Oikosnet-North America), moderated the World Collaboration Committee's planning committee for the first World Convention of Lay Centres and Academies held in Montreat, N.C., involving 400 global leaders in lay education. He has served as Chairperson of the Conference Commission on Worship and the Continuing Education Committee. Furthermore, he served as the Registrar for the Western Pennsylvania Conference United Methodist Church Board of Ordained Ministry. He was elected as a clergy delegate from the W. Pa. Conference to the 1996 General and Jurisdictional Conferences of the United Methodist Church and was a delegate to the 2000 Jurisdictional Conference. He served on the Committee on Ordained Ministry for both Kane and Pittsburgh Districts and on the Ethics Committee of St Clair Hospital, Mt. Lebanon.
Miller has received chaplaincy training at the Warren State Hospital, training in marriage enrichment with the Association of Couples for Marriage Enrichment, leader certification in Celebrating Marriage with the United Methodist Church, certification to administer and interpret the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), training in pastoral transitions with Alban's Institute, leadership training in human relations, experiential education, and group development with the Mid-Atlantic Association for Training and Consulting, and training in Christian spirituality through the Academy for Spiritual Formation sponsored by the United Methodist's Upper Room, Nashville, TN. Miller has been involved in consultations on Ministry and Spiritual Guidance. He has attended training, network, and retreat centers events in Indonesia, Korea, Hungary, Switzerland, England, Cuba, Spain, France, Mexico and the mid-east. He recently served as the Upper Room Ministries’ Retreat Leader of the two-year Academy for Spiritual Formation #21 in Maryland and as adjunct faculty for the School of Theology, Drew University
Raised in the Seneca UMC and a graduate of Cranberry HS, ‘65, Miller is the son of Helen and Donald (deceased) Miller. He is married to Diane M. Cox of Rockland, formerly the staff Coordinator of the WPA UMC Conference Volunteer in Ministry (VIM), teaching, resourcing, and leading mission teams in the USA as well as Russia, Paraguay, Haiti, Zimbabwe and the Balkans. Formerly an enrichment teacher with the Seneca Highlands IU 9, instructor in geography at the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford, and Executive Secretary for Schools of Mission and Mission Studies of the Women’s Division of the Board of Global Ministry, Diane authored the study guide for the Women’s Division India-Pakistan Mission Study and was the 2005-2007 WPA Conference Mission Ambassador to India and Pakistan. Diane has been President of the Conference United Methodist Women and Chair of the Ruth M Smith Center. Diane was elected as a lay delegate to General Conferences of 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2019. John and Diane have three children, Kelly C. Martini, free lance writer, Carrie Chelko, general counsel of Jackson National, East Lansing, MI and Adam, a practicing Veterinary MD in Warren, PA and granddaughters, Talia Celeste Martini and Sarah Dale Chelko, and grandsons, Andrew James Chelko, John David Martini, Jr., Carlos Humberto Martini and Coleman Russell Dale Miller.
Updated: 08/23/23