My most embarrassing moment

When I was in fifth grade, I won second prize in my school’s “prose and poetry” contest for an essay titled “My Most Embarrassing Moment,” which is how I got my start as a writer. Since then, I’ve written seven books and let’s-just-say lots of essays, editorials, newspaper columns, and more. I am also a Presbyterian pastor.

From Wheaton to … the Hague

I served churches in Wheaton, Illinois, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and (for five years toward the end of my career) Zürich, Switzerland, where I reached a moderate level of proficiency in standard German. I recently returned from a nine-month interim-pastor assignment in the Hague, Netherlands, where I did my best to learn the Dutch language but, alas, Ik ben niet zo goed. I now live a few miles north of Holland, Michigan, a few steps from Lake Michigan. My most recent book—Chasing After Wind: A Pastor’s life—was published in 2022. It’s my memoir, and it’s my fifth book with the Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

I learned stuff

I attended Calvin University (formerly Calvin College) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and received my undergraduate degree in philosophy. I’m no longer sure why, except that there were some exceptional teachers in that department. I received my Masters of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.

Marriage and family

My wife was an attorney in private practice for much of her career, and before she retired she was executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Broward County, Florida. My older daughter is a Presbyterian pastor, and my younger daughter is a health economist. Both of them are married, have children of their own, and live way too far away.

Please use douglas.brouwer@gmail.com to contact me.

Here are my books, which are available on Amazon or from the publisher:

CHASING AFTER WIND: A Pastor’s Life (Eerdmans)
The Truth About Who We Are: Letter to My Grandchildren (Wipf & Stock)

How to Become a Multicultural Church (Eerdmans)

What Am I Supposed To Do With My Life: Asking the Right Questions (Eerdmans)

Beyond ‘I Do’: What Christians Believe About Marriage (Eerdmans)

Remembering the Faith: What Christians Believe (Eerdmans)

I Heard It at the Potluck: Hope and Hilarity for People Under the Steeple (Harold Shaw)

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People

A Presbyterian pastor for more than 40 years - most recently in Zürich, Switzerland - I am also the author of seven books. CHASING AFTER WIND: A PASTOR'S LIFE is the most recent. It's my memoir, and it's an account of an extraordinary life.