A native of southern Indiana, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Ball State University (1975), a Master of Arts degree in Sacred Music from Bob Jones University (1977), and a Doctorate of Pastoral Theology from Bob Jones Seminary. He has done additional postgraduate study in choral conducting with Eph Ehly (VanderCook School of Music), James Jordan (Westminster Choir College), Rene Clausen (Concordia), and Robert Shaw (Robert Shaw Choral Insitute). He is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada.