He earned an associate of arts degree in administration of justice from Long Beach City College; a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Cal State Fullerton; his Master of Divinity from Church Divinity School of the Pacific; and a Doctor of Ministry from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. He was ordained a deacon and priest in 1994.
He served churches in Texas and Colorado. In 2007, he received a Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa, from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa from Church Divinity School of the Pacific in 2014.