Reverend Tom Simmons has served as Rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Purcellville since 2002, leading with a mission to lift up Jesus Christ above all counterfeit gods through preaching, teaching, and great liturgy. His journey—from military service and Capitol Hill to ministry, preaching, coaching, community leadership, and woodworking—reflects a life deeply committed to transformation, authentic spiritual growth, and craftsmanship.
We recently sat down with Reverend Tom Simmons to discuss his background, his evolution as a faith leader, and what continues to inspire his ministry.
Can you share some of your early influences and what first led you toward ministry?
I grew up in Fairfax, Virginia, surrounded by people who modeled integrity, hard work, and and entrepreneurial spirit. As a teen, I thought my life would follow a path in business— I started college majoring in Finance. But when I met Jesus in college and that changed my direction toward ministry. I resisted the call toward vocational ministry, choosing instead to serve as a machine gunner in the 3/116 Infantry Battalion and working on Capitol Hill in both the House and Senate. But even during those years, I felt the Lord tugging on my heart.
Eventually, that pull became undeniable. I wanted to dedicate my life to something that mattered eternally, and ministry became the place where my gifts, convictions, training and passions aligned. That journey ultimately led me to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, where I now serve as Rector.
What were some of the challenges you encountered when you first began preaching and pastoral leadership?
Like many new preachers, I struggled to translate what I knew theologically into messages that truly connected with people. After an initial burst of success and growth at St. Peter’s, I experienced fatigue and stress. I was pouring in time and effort, but not always seeing transformation. I felt my creative well was running dry. That frustration eventually led me to pursue advanced study, including my D.Min. in preaching from Gordon-Conwell under Haddon Robinson.
That program renewed my passion, creativity and skill in preaching and trained me in the coaching disciplines, which bore all kinds of fruit.
Those experiences shaped my understanding that preaching is both a craft and a calling, and expanded my vision and skill set for helping others. It’s why I developed The Sermon Coach—to help other clergy who feel stuck rediscover clarity, creativity, and joy in their preaching. I love the collegial relationships that have developed in the process.
Reflecting on your path, what pivotal moments shaped your approach to ministry?
A defining moment was realizing that ministry is fundamentally about lifting up Jesus Christ—not ideas, not programs, not personality, not my ambition for measurable indicators of success. That clarity transformed how I lead.
Another pivotal moment was stepping into the wider community as Chaplain for the Purcellville Volunteer Rescue Squad and later serving on the INOVA Loudoun Hospital Board and Coaching Mission International. Those roles reminded me that ministry extends far beyond the church walls. They shaped my conviction that the gospel belongs everywhere.
How would you describe your leadership style at Reverend Tom Simmons St. Peter’s?
I strive for ministry that is grounded, Christ-centered, and relational. At St. Peter’s, my goal is to create an environment where people encounter God’s presence through liturgy, Scripture, and community, where they can experience transformation through a relationship with Jesus and his people.
Leadership, for me, is about equipping others— teaching them to grow, helping them to discern God’s voice, and encouraging them to step into the ministries for which God has been preparing them. I want people to be strengthened in faith and confident in sharing Christ with others.
What do you see as the biggest opportunities for growth in clergy leadership today?
Many clergy feel overwhelmed or uninspired in their preaching, and that affects everything in their ministry. That’s why sermon coaching matters. A coaching relationship can transform not just preaching, but the preacher. And that transforms congregations.
Through The Sermon Coach program, I’ve watched pastors rediscover excitement, clarity, and purpose. They begin to see more in Scripture, prepare more efficiently, and hear from congregations who say: “Something is different.” That’s incredibly encouraging.
You have a well-known woodworking side business, Creation in Wood. How does this connect to your spiritual life?
Woodworking is therapy, art, and worship all at once. I love making things that are beautiful and useful—furniture, interiors, casework, toys—you name it. The bigger the project, the better.
I love developing an efficient work process to accomplish all the MANY steps needed to do a big project. Starting with a drawing and a bunch of materials, transforming them, step-by-meticulous-step, into a custom built-in. It is immensely satisfying to take a vision and make it reality.
There’s something deeply spiritual about restoring hundred-year-old machinery, crafting something by hand, or working alongside my wife Danielle as we refinish furniture. It reflects what God does with us—restoring, renewing, shaping, refining. From God’s vision into our reality.
What achievements in ministry are you most grateful for?
I am most grateful for the people of St. Peter’s. Their love, care, hard-work, skill, resilience, faithfulness, good cheer, generosity, and their patience with me has made my gifts, training, and efforts successful. It’s been fun and we’ve gotten SO MUCH done!
Longevity at St. Peter’s is something I cherish. Being rooted in one community for more than two decades has allowed me to walk with people through every season of their lives. Having thrived and endured and survived through multiple cycles of life at St Peter’s, I have learned and deepened so much from the people of this congregation.
I am grateful for the immense progress we have made over the last 10 years improving and upgrading and modernizing all aspects of our buildings and grounds to maximize their beauty, usefulness and capacity. We have many talented people and have been able to do an amazing amount of it ourselves, which gives a ton of “bang for the buck.” This has, in turn, enabled us to lease our property to a school and another congregation, which has been a boon financially.
I’m also grateful for the impact of The Sermon Coach program. Hearing pastors I have worked with say things like, “You helped me enjoy preaching again,” or “People are noticing the difference,” means a great deal.
But most of all, I’m grateful every time I see someone’s life change for the better because they encountered Jesus and his people here at St. Peter’s.
How do you stay spiritually and professionally refreshed?
Prayer. In the last three years, I have developed a discipline of praying for people daily, using prayer cards to capture the needs of the congregation, my family and my own needs as well. It’s the prayer life that for years I wished I had!
This has helped me stay grounded personally, to thrive through suffering and loss. It has also improved my skill as a pastor, helping me keep track of people’s needs and has greatly increased my capacity to keep in touch with people.
Study is also a major source of refreshment for me—diving into Scripture, the history of the church, and interaction with dominant ideas and issues of the day – keeps my mind engaged and my preaching relevant.
Most years I maintain a working relationship with a coach, or spiritual director, or therapist to keep me actively engaged with my own struggles and need for growth.
And woodworking, of course, keeps me sane. I especially love doing shop class every week with a group of seventh graders at The Good Shepherd School.
What advice would you give to someone entering ministry today?
Stay centered on Christ above all else. Ministry is full of demands, expectations, and pressures that can pull you in countless directions. We all struggle with our inadequacies and ambitions and fears. But if you keep Jesus at the center— of your prayer life, your preaching, your leadership, your relationships—you’ll be grounded. You will grow through suffering instead of be embittered or discouraged by it
Also, find mentors. Seek feedback. Ministry is ALWAYS a team effort. And understand that growth in ministry is a lifelong process. Even after decades of preaching, I’m still learning.
What motivates you in your ongoing work at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church?
Transformation. Seeing people become more fully who God designed them to be. Watching faith grow, families strengthened, and lives healed. That’s what keeps me going.
Everything I do—from Sunday preaching to sermon coaching to woodworking to community service—is driven by the joy of seeing God change lives.
