Rev. David C. Fisher, Senior Minister

Reverend David Fisher has been a parish pastor for thirty-eight years. After graduating from seminary, he learned the pastoral craft in a decade of ministry in rural America. He has also served suburban and urban congregations in Minneapolis and Boston. In 2004, Plymouth Church called him to serve as its 10th “Settled Minister.” 

A graduate of Bryan College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Reverend Fisher earned his Ph.D. in New Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has also done additional graduate studies at Hebrew Union College and Indiana University. His academic specialty is the Jewish background of early Christianity. He has served as Instructor of New Testament at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and as Adjunct Professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Nearly forty years in pastoral ministry has honed a deep interest the theology and practice of the Christian ministry. He is a frequent speaker at clergy and denominational gatherings and has written numerous articles and a monograph, The Twenty-First Century Pastor: A Vision Based on the Apostle Paul (Zondervan, 1996).

He also has a life-long interest in preaching and the craft of preaching. In 2001 he served as a Fellow of College of Preachers at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., where he did research and writing on the New Homiletic.

The son of a pastor, David and his wife, Gloria, have three grown children and six grandchildren. His hobbies are motorcycling and gardening.

Bruce Oelschlager, Minister of Music

Bruce Oelschlager has an extensive background in choral conducting, which he studied with
Kenneth Jennings at St. Olaf College. In Austria he studied with Frederick Gillespie, director of the Vienna Boys Choir. He has conducted choirs of all ages throughout his career and has directed youth musicals in several of the churches he has served. His work with youth choirs provides choristers with a solid foundation for choral singing when they reach adulthood. His adult choirs regularly perform oratorios and choral masterpieces. Besides his expertise in choral conducting, Mr. Oelschlager is an accomplished concert organist who has performed throughout the U.S.

Julia Rassmann, Director of Ministry to Children and Families 

After over a decade in the corporate world, Julia decided to return to  her first love: teaching children. Her introduction to Plymouth Church came as a Vacation Bible Camp parent, and she worked as a substitute teacher at Plymouth Church School. Julia then spent three years teaching kindergarten at Little Red School House in Manhattan.

Born in Germany, Julia grew up in Brooklyn Heights and Manhattan, and returned to Brooklyn Heights about ten years ago to raise her daughter, Emily. She has a B.A. in English from Tufts University and an M.A. in Education from New York University.