An Inside Look

David Bisgrove headshot

Meet David Bisgrove

After three decades in ministry — including senior leadership at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City — I launched an advisory devoted to strengthening pastors and senior leaders as they navigate institutional strain, cultivate healthy leadership cultures, and lead faithfully amid changing cultural conditions.

I partner with churches and mission-driven organizations to clarify vision, strengthen leadership systems, and foster steadiness in polarized or pressurized environments — applying hard-won lessons from decades of urban ministry to the challenges leaders face today.

My Journey

  • Having earned my MBA from Columbia University, I began my career in healthcare administration, gaining experience in organizational leadership, strategic planning, and operational management that would later prove invaluable in ministry contexts.

    Healthcare Administration (1988-1998)

  • I joined Redeemer's staff as its first official CFO/COO. We led through crises including 9/11 and post-9/11 recovery, and the 2008 financial downturn. During this season, I was ordained and oversaw a range of departments while leading worship and preaching, helping Redeemer expand its impact in NYC and globally.

    Ministry and Pastoral Leadership – Redeemer Presbyterian Church (1998-2011)

  • Redeemer transitioned from one large church into four geographically rooted congregations, each with its own leadership and vision. A year into this model, a decision was made to merge the two West Side congregations into one. Leading to a season of unifying us into one, missional congregation.

    Lead Pastor, West Side – Redeemer Presbyterian Church (2011-2017)

  • My appointment to Senior Pastor was the final strategic step in a decade-long handoff from Tim Keller, that laid the groundwork for the organization’s next chapter and a thoughtful succession plan.

    Senior Pastor – Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side (2017-2024)

  • Today, I come alongside pastors and leaders as a coach, consultant, and thought partner—drawing on these experiences to advise others how navigate their own seasons of transition, challenge, and renewal.

    Present Day

What I Bring

Deep Experience:

Strategic Insight:

Hard-won wisdom navigating polarization, cultural change, and organizational complexity—including 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic

I don't offer easy answers. I walk with you, asking the right questions and helping you synthesize wisdom for your unique context.

An MBA from Columbia University combined with real-world application in church leadership, from CFO/COO to Senior Pastor

Over 26 years of pastoral ministry and organizational leadership in one of the most complex urban contexts in the world

Empathetic Partnership:

Cultural Discernment:

Let's begin the conversation

My Approach

David Bisgrove speaks at a podium in a conference or seminar setting.

I believe effective leadership does not emerge from borrowing someone else’s playbook, but from clarifying your calling, reading your context wisely, and leading with both grace and strategic conviction.

Whether you’re feeling isolated, navigating cultural pressure or congregational strain, or sensing that it’s time to renew your vision and strengthen your leadership, I create space for thoughtful discernment and practical strategy — helping you regain perspective and lead with steadiness and confidence.

Coaching & Advisory

I work with pastors and leadership teams navigating transition, cultural headwinds, and institutional strain.

Whether you’re facing a defining challenge or simply need a trusted thought partner to chart the road ahead, I bring three decades of lived leadership — marked by both success and setback — to every engagement.

This work is for leaders who value seasoned perspective and steady counsel in consequential seasons.

Preaching

After decades of preaching in one of the most diverse and demanding ministry contexts in the world, I offer preaching coaching for pastors who long to speak with conviction and pastoral sensitivity in a fractured age.

Fruitful preaching emerges from a life shaped by grace, sustained by careful listening to one’s congregation, and attentive to the cultural moment without being captive to it.

Whether you’re building a series, refining your voice, or seeking renewed theological depth in the pulpit, I would be glad to serve as a thoughtful partner in your growth.

Speaking

I speak and teach on leadership, pastoral isolation, cultural headwinds, institutional transition, and the resilience required to lead faithfully in demanding seasons.

Whether you need a keynote voice shaped by decades of leadership in complex urban settings or a facilitator to guide thoughtful conversation among senior leaders, I bring candor, depth, and seasoned perspective to every engagement.

I would welcome the opportunity to serve your community.

Writing

I write to process experience, to teach what I am learning, and to encourage leaders navigating the contested and demanding seasons of ministry, as well as fellow pilgrims making their way through life’s terrain.

My essays range from pastoral reflection and cultural interpretation to leadership transitions, preaching, and the interior work of resilience.

At its best, writing helps us name what we are living through.  It steadies the soul. As Madeleine L’Engle observed, “We write to know we are not alone.”