Pastor Tom Taylor has over 41 years of pastoral ministry experience and 18 years as a licensed mental health professional. He graduated from The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia with a Master of Divinity degree (M.Div.) in 1981. He has served congregations in Liberty, Ellenville, North Bellmore, Deer Park, Lindenhurst, and Kingston, NY. Pr. Taylor also supervised four seminary interns before retiring in 2022.
While in Liberty, he was a chaplain and firefighter with the Liberty Fire Department and, for six years, was a volunteer fire investigator with the Sullivan County Bureau of Fire. Pr. Taylor was also an EMT and served as the chaplain and Deputy Chief for the North Bellmore Fire Department. In 1987, he was commissioned an officer and served as a chaplain in the United States Naval Reserves.
After 9/11, Pastor Taylor worked with recovery workers and mental health professionals coping with the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. He volunteered as a Red Cross chaplain at the Temporary Morgue (T-Mort) at Ground Zero, a chaplain at St. Paul’s Chapel Respite Care Center, and a chaplain at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (NYC).
Tom graduated from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work with a Master of Social Work degree (MSW) in 2006. He is a licensed social worker, trauma, grief, and pastoral counselor. He is also a Certified Spiritual Director from the Sisters of St. Joseph Spiritual Direction Formation program in Brentwood, NY, in 2014.
Rev. Taylor was named the Bellmore Herald’s 2007 Person of the Year “…for his unrelenting service to those who help others in the community and beyond.” He also was a 2008 recipient of the Lutheran Social Services of New York "Kujenga Jamii" Award for his post-9/11 and community service work. Taylor was certified as a spiritual director from the Sisters of St. Joseph Spiritual Direction Program in Brentwood, NY, in 2013.
For fun, Tom enjoys painting in watercolors and photography. Married with two adult children and two grandchildren, he and his wife Sheryl, a licensed therapist, live in upstate New York.