Pastor Adam


Rev. Adam Isbitsky (he/him/his) is blessed to serve Ballard Vale United Church as Designated Term Pastor. Adam completed the Master of Divinity program with Certificate in Interfaith Leadership at Andover Newton Theological School, where he served as Treasurer and then President of the Student Association. He completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Saint Vincent Hospital at Worcester Medical Center. He is an ordained minister in and on behalf of the United Church of Christ and a member of the Interim Ministry Network, through which he completed the Fundamentals of Transitional Ministry program. He received a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to serving Ballard Vale United Church, Adam served churches in Boston, Wellesley Hills, East Weymouth, North Middleboro, and Holliston in both pastoral and music ministry positions. He serves the wider church as treasurer of the Northeast Association UCC; annual meeting business committee member for the Southern New England Conference UCC, clergy programs advisory committee member for the newly proposed UCC credit union, and a counselor at Pilgrim Lodge, the UCC's outdoor ministry site in Maine.

Prior to attending seminary, Adam trained in music and education, and you can often find him singing or playing keyboard instruments here and there when he gets the chance. He is a Massachusetts native and was as active member of his home church, First Congregational Church of Stoughton, United Church of Christ. He co-founded and managed a local nonprofit children’s theatre company throughout its eight years of producing fun, educational productions. He also comes with experience in corporate administration, bookkeeping, restaurant management, and retail merchandising. Adam enjoys designing and participating in good worship and always finds ways to blend humor with a deep love for God and the earth. He is passionate about the value of church as a caring community: a group—yes, even an institution (gasp! a dirty word)—that cares for its own members and friends and reaches out in caring to others in need. He looks to Jesus as an example of what that means, especially taking to heart his prayed words “on earth as it is heaven.”  

When to Call a Pastor

  • When you don't yet know them 
  • When you are facing problems with your job, children, parents, or anyone else where a sympathetic ear might be helpful 
  • When you've lost your job 
  • When you're considering a new career 
  • When you're having trouble in your relationship or marriage 
  • When someone you know is interested in the church 
  • When you'd like to invite a friend to church but you're not sure how to go about it 
  • When there is an illness or a hospitalization 
  • When someone close to you has died, is critically ill, is struggling, or facing challenges 
  • When there is a wedding planned 
  • When you are considering or working through a divorce 
  • When you must make an important decision 
  • When you are pregnant and glad you are or wish you weren't 
  • When you would like to have children but can't 
  • When you feel ready to join the church 
  • When you are unhappy about what's going on in the church 
  • When you need to talk to someone in confidence 
  • When you are facing a religious struggle 
  • When you need to get something off your chest 
  • When you have religious questions 
  • When you want to be baptized or have your child baptized 
  • When you are feeling joyful and want to share your joy 
  • When you have a good joke 
  • No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome to call the pastor!

Designated Term Pastor? What Does That Mean?

The purpose of a designated-term pastorate is to work toward the church’s declared goals for a specific season. Pastor Adam, whose ministry specialty is in working with churches in transition, partners with us for a designated term of four years beginning in September 2020. 

We have set forth three main goals to guide this during a four-year designated term:
  • To find our mission as a church and ascertain what we specifically can offer our greater community which is not already being met by other local congregations. 
  • To find clarity around our long-term viability as a stand-alone church. 
  • To form connections with at least one other congregation to allow us to meet the needs of our current members and to investigate a potential future where we might want to yoke ourselves in some way to another UCC church.