Minister Michael Ellick

Recently promoted Minister of Judson, Rev. Michael Ellick previously served as Associate Minister of Judson Memorial Church for two years. In that time, Rev. Ellick has been committed to establishing a new Christian vocabulary for a post-Christian world, embracing Judson’s legacy as the Research & Development Laboratory for American Christianity. Recognizing that an authentic witness of the Gospel (which he’s referred to as the “macabre, science-fiction Enlightenment” of world religions) means moving beyond the traditional words and concepts we’ve used to describe it; Ellick’s exploration of new theological forms has grown out of his commitment to the social gospel in action, and the practice of God’s presence in silent prayer, reflection, and meditation.


Raised in a Conservative Baptist church in Washington State, Rev. Ellick studied Comparative Religion and Philosophy at the University of Washington before earning his M.Div. at Union Theological Seminary in the year 2000. There he grew frustrated at the current state of the country’s religious dialogue, and looking for both new ways of understanding the Gospel, and real world practices for embodying its “prophetic compassion,” he studied closely under a Tibetan Buddhist teacher for the next seven years. Over the course of his life, Michael also worked as a courier, a fast-food cook, a fact-checker, a fresh juice delivery person, a copy-editor, an event planner, a barista, a financial analyst, an internet help desk, and even as an assistant at a Marine Biology lab. He came to Judson in 2007 for in-care training through the Community Minister program, and was ordained as Assistant Pastor in October 2008.


Since his time on staff, Rev. Michael Ellick - or “Mellick,” as many at Judson have come to know him – has helped bring many new programs to Judson, including Bailout Theater, the contemplative Mid-Week Service, the Community Sustained Agriculture project, the Really Really Free Market, the artistic and political think-tank for populist theology known as PopLab, and the upcoming internet broadcast series, “Digital Fountain.” He has worked as an organizer for Immigrant Rights, Marriage Equality, Single Payer Health Care, Economic & Enviornmental Justice, and Islamophobia. Rev. Ellick is particularly interested in understanding the Christian Passion Story in an America threatened by falling Empire and failing Plutocracy.


He currently lives in Greenwich Village, where in his off time he contemplates time travel, the prophetic interactive mythology of comic books and zombie films, and churches as potential American Mystery Schools for the 21st Century. On vacation, he loves spending time in empty, desolate places.

 
55 Washington Square South New York, NY 10012 | phone: 212-477-0351 | fax: 212-995-0844