Dave Ripper has served as the Lead Pastor of Crossway since March 2019. Prior to Crossway, he ministered as a pastor at Grace Chapel in Lexington, MA. In addition to his role at Crossway, Dave founded and has led the Boston Bruins chapel program since the 2015-2016 season. Go B’s! Dave is a graduate of Grove City College, Denver Seminary, and recently completed his Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Direction from Fuller Theological Seminary and the Dallas Willard Center for Christian Spiritual Formation.
Dave is married to his high school sweetheart, Erin, a licensed mental health counselor. They are the proud parents of two boys, Dallas and Clive, a daughter, Avila, and a stately old yellow lab, Howdy. Originally from the Pittsburgh, PA, area, the Rippers love to travel—especially to the ocean, the White Mountains, and America’s National Parks. In his free time, Dave is attempting to hike all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4,000 foot mountains.
One of Dave’s biggest passions is spiritual formation, which is the process of how people become more and more like Jesus. He writes about this in his first book, The Fellowship of the Suffering: How Hardship Shapes Us for Ministry and Mission (IVP, 2018), co-authored with his mentor, Paul Borthwick, and in his forthcoming book, Reading Scripture like Dallas Willard: Experiencing the Bible as an Apprentice of Jesus (IVP, 2025). Spiritual formation is also at the core of Dave's discipleship initiatives at Crossway: Monday School and the Getting Heaven into People podcast. Dave loves to connect with people one-on-one, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
Dave is married to his high school sweetheart, Erin, a licensed mental health counselor. They are the proud parents of two boys, Dallas and Clive, a daughter, Avila, and a stately old yellow lab, Howdy. Originally from the Pittsburgh, PA, area, the Rippers love to travel—especially to the ocean, the White Mountains, and America’s National Parks. In his free time, Dave is attempting to hike all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4,000 foot mountains.
One of Dave’s biggest passions is spiritual formation, which is the process of how people become more and more like Jesus. He writes about this in his first book, The Fellowship of the Suffering: How Hardship Shapes Us for Ministry and Mission (IVP, 2018), co-authored with his mentor, Paul Borthwick, and in his forthcoming book, Reading Scripture like Dallas Willard: Experiencing the Bible as an Apprentice of Jesus (IVP, 2025). Spiritual formation is also at the core of Dave's discipleship initiatives at Crossway: Monday School and the Getting Heaven into People podcast. Dave loves to connect with people one-on-one, so don’t hesitate to reach out.