About

Hello. I’m Jeff McLain, and I sincerely appreciate your visit to the Lead a Quiet Life blog on Patheos.

I serve as the Director of Pastoral Ministries at Water Street Mission in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where I walk alongside those experiencing homelessness. I also pastor at River Corner Church, a simple community of Jesus followers.

I’m currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry at Kairos University, researching the intersection of the theological, historical, and practical implications of the Lord’s Prayer for the Church. I hold a Master of Arts in Theology and Ministry and a Master of Arts in Global Leadership from Fuller Seminary, as well as an MBA in Executive Leadership from City Vision University.

My journey has taken me from a spiritual search and chasing adventure to encountering Jesus and becoming a pastor. Along the way, I’ve grown deeply committed to leading a quiet life at a slower pace, embracing simplicity and faith in a chaotic world and a church culture often driven by excess.

In addition to ministry and academic work, my creative efforts include developing resources on the Lord’s Prayer, writing reflections on spiritual formation and simplicity at the Lead A Quiet Life blog on Patheos, co-hosting the Discovering God Podcast, coaching others at Quiet Way Co., and creating coastal-inspired art through Right Coastline.

I’m a follower of Jesus, happily married to Katie McLain, and the proud dad of three wonder-filled daughters. I’m still learning what it means to follow Jesus—not always getting it right, but trying to say yes to Jesus a little more each day. Some days I’m writing academic papers; other days, I still feel like a kid figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. I love encouraging others along the way and would be glad to have a conversation over coffee.

Though the punk and hardcore scenes shaped my youth, my dream is to grow old drinking coffee by the beach, selling t-shirts on the boardwalk, and spending more time in a hammock than I probably should—ideally with reggae playing in the background.

You can find more of my work and story at my website.

About Lead a Quiet Life on Patheos

The Lead a Quiet Life blog pursues what it means to lead a quieter life at a slower pace, to discover a simple life and faith that embraces downward mobility in a chaotic world and a church often obsessed with excess.

Though I was shaped early on by Fundamental and Calvinistic traditions, my journey has included meaningful stops in the Vineyard and Anabaptist streams, and I’ve come to appreciate the beauty and depth found across many expressions of the local church. In seeking to understand and live out the words, works, and ways of Jesus, I’ve grown to love so much about the wide mosaic of Jesus’ Church.

I try to write as a spiritual sojourner — from a humble, grounded, and simple posture — reflecting on life (and all its challenges), spiritual formation, and what it means to follow Jesus in the places we live, work, worship, and play. My writing is shaped by a way of life that draws from missional, evangelical, poetic, charismatic, historic, and contemplative streams — but rooted in practical and biblical theology.

At the heart of it all, I return often to the words of 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12, a verse I felt highlighted for me a few years ago, an encouragement to “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (NIV). This verse serves as the lens through which I write, live, and follow Jesus, pursuing a quieter way marked by faithfulness, simplicity, and intentional presence.

Let’s connect.

I’m currently pursuing a three-year Doctor of Ministry program at Kairos University ($10,800 total), and due to family and medical challenges, I’m inviting support through the Kairos Payment Form (Student: Jeffrey McLain, ID 6760), with more details at jeffmclain.com.