About
Dr. David McFadden, D.Min.
A third-generation pastor, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and a wedding officiant for more than 40 years. He founded Final Word Connection in 2013 to bring his skills, and those of other like-minded pastors, to one place.
Pastor, counselor, officiant
Dr. McFadden is a third-generation pastor, like his grandfather and father. He spent 25 years in full-time ministry as a senior pastor in Indiana, Michigan and Illinois. He often says he has way too much education and has earned degrees he never thought would be possible: a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, another in Pastoral Counseling, and a Doctor of Ministry degree in Pastoral Counseling.
He is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an ordained pastor. For most of his years as a pastor, his duties made it hard to focus on weddings; working as a marriage and family therapist let him focus on what he truly enjoys.
Final Word Connection has a strong commitment to an unwavering belief in God; to being open to all, as non-denominational Christians; to accepting people where and as they are, without judgment; and to having fun in all of its work.
In his own words
“Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I am involved in leading wedding ceremonies because I believe in marriage, and because it is so much fun to be part of a moment of celebration and happiness between two people, their family and their friends.”
“I do not take a cookie-cutter approach. I want both of you to be fully engaged in the moment you are joined together, and to have a lot of personal satisfaction from the impact of the experience on everyone present. I bring a lot of energy and personality, and I work hard to engage the couple and the family and friends who are there.”
His faith
One beggar telling other beggars where to find bread
A devout Christian who takes his faith seriously, Dr. McFadden grew up in a family of faith and embraced it fully as a young man. After graduating with a degree in Christian Ministry from a four-year Christian college, he became pastor of a rural church in downstate Illinois during his junior year of college, and he worked as a full-time pastor until he turned to counseling full time in 1994.
At his ordination in 1973 an elder of the Rockville Christian Church, Aarol Jacks, prayed that he would always remember he was one beggar telling other beggars where to find bread. That prayer has shaped his life by removing any judgment of people: we are all trying to find our way the best we can.
Most of the couples he marries are not currently part of a church; usually they have some religious background but are not active. It is your wedding, so it can carry as little or as much religion as you want. He speaks at church services many times a year, including at The Oaks Community Church in Drummond, Wisconsin, and on Sunday mornings at Grand Valley Church in Ontario, Canada.
Why he loves weddings
Why he is so passionate about wedding ceremonies
At virtually every ceremony he officiates, at least half a dozen guests tell him it was the best wedding ceremony they ever attended, and the couple hears the same from dozens of people before the day is over. It comes from his passion for marriage.
- He has worked for 25 years as a marriage counselor, so he can tell the couple, and the guests, what makes a great marriage
- He is with people at one of the most exciting and fun times of their lives
- He believes his words and actions make a difference
- A ceremony is a serious event, and should be taken seriously by everyone involved
- It is also a fun event, and everyone should be able to enjoy it
- It is a celebration, and we should all be able to express our joy
- It is a statement to everyone present about the value of commitment and the choice to love someone
- It is one of the most meaningful events in the life of the couple, and of parents watching their child become one with another person
- Weddings cost people a lot of money, and they should get what they paid for
- Based on Genesis 2, God designed us to be in relationship, and marriage fulfills that grand design
- A stable marriage is the best structure in which to raise children
- We are all imperfect and a little broken inside; in a good marriage we learn to grow and heal as we learn to take care of each other
Outside of work
An active life
Dr. McFadden works hard at a good balance between work and life; he admits to a tendency to be a workaholic.
He is an avid cyclist. He has ridden to the top of the highest paved road in the world, in the Andes, and he enters a number of mountain bike races each year, from the Austin Rattler 60-mile race to the Barry-Roubaix, where it was 17 degrees at the start and his water bottle froze solid in the first 30 minutes. He is a very active grandfather, too, and has taught his grandchildren to ride bikes.
If you would like him to officiate, the sooner you ask the better: between race weekends and family events, his availability is limited, though he will do his best to help with your ceremony.
Also officiating
Other pastors
Final Word Connection also lists John P. Puckett of Paris, Illinois, among its pastors.
More
See and hear him
Videos on planning a ceremony and choosing an officiant, kind words from couples, and wedding stories.
Check your date
Is Dr. McFadden free on your date?
The form is the fastest way to find out. He replies within 24 hours to check your date and set up a time to meet, in person, by phone or by video. The sooner you ask, the better.