David C. Wilder

Bio

David C. Wilder is the Managing Director of Lumen Institute (Manhattan, NY), an international organization providing highly personalized formation for business executives and cultural leaders in character, faith and leadership. David oversees the planning and implementation of Lumen's national and international expansion. David is a graduate of Syracuse University where he studied at the renowned Maxwell School for the advancement of citizenship, scholarship and leadership. He has degrees in political science and business administration. Prior to joining Lumen in 2003, David worked as a sales executive within the transportation and pneumatic conveying industries.

David has been a featured speaker at numerous catechetical and evangelization conferences. David is the former director of the John Paul II Family Faith Center, a multi-media apostolate of Catholic apologetics and evangelization. David taught high school catechetics and epistemology at Tyburn Academy in Auburn, NY, a college preparatory institution providing character and faith formation within the Catholic Tradition. He is currently the Co-Director of the RCIA Program at Our Lady of the Lake Parish (Sparta, NJ) and is a training consultant to SportsLeader, ConQuest Boys Clubs, and Three to Get Married Pre-Cana Marriage Preparation within the Archdiocese of New York.

David specializes in high-impact, bridge-building evangelization, apologetics, and parenting techniques that use logic, humor and the art of example to drive the methods of Catholic persuasion. His methods are highly practical, meant for all audiences, and have proven to produce clear, convincing, charitable results in any setting - from the board room, golf course and family reunion to the CCD class, around the dining room table or the inevitable airplane conversation.

David and his wife Terri have been married for 19 years and have five children. They make their home in northern New Jersey.

His talks include:
The Top Ten Reasons People Leave the Catholic Church: and they're not what you think!

How Do We Know We Know?: Epistemology for Dummies 101 (aka Facts for Good Ol' Folks)

Raising Adults, Not Children: The Principles of Successful, High Impact Parenting

Catechist, Therefore Apologist: Taking Catechesis from Christian Devotion to Confident Discipleship

Attract - Form - Mobilize: The Beginning of Benedict and the End of Rocking Chair Catholicism

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Our Lady of Guadalupe ... Center to Circumference

Yes, Virginia, There Really is a Real Presence: The Historical, Biblical and (therefore) Believable Eucharist

Christ-Centered Finance for Fiancees: Preparing Your Marriage for Financial Unity, Maturity and Sacrifice

Hitting the "Pause Button" on the Conveyor Belt of Confirmation: A Mature Look at Real Confirmant Receptivity and Readiness... and its Forgery

"Men of Rohan, UNITE!": What Today's Catholic Men of the Kingdom Can Learn from the Riders of the Riddermark

"What Do You Mean I'm Not Meeting Her Needs?": A Fog-Cutter for Men to Confidently Get Back on Course

What are people saying about David C. Wilder

"David's recent presentation spoke to the heart of the Legatus experience. His conciseness, levity and love of the audience created a natural and stimulating learning environment for our group. And the clarity he provided to the many burning questions we all have about our faith: where is it headed? ... how do we strengthen ourselves? ... left us refreshed and motivated to continue our roles as ambassadors. Most appreciatively, his wisdom and insights he joyfully shared with all in the room, and stayed well after to be sure all who had questions could ask them. He is a gift to the Church."
Michael Pyle / Great Lakes Region Director - Legatus

"Contagious enthusiasm. Deep knowledge of the human heart. Tested integrity. Swashbuckling commitment to Christ and the Church. Hard-earned experience when it comes to making the treasure of our faith relevant and inspiring to Catholics battling secularism in the work place. These are the qualities that come to mind when I think about David Wilder, who I am glad to count as a personal ally in the culture wars."
Fr. John Bartunek LC, author of Inside the Passion and The Better Part

"I just heard that David Wilder is now a speaker for The Maximus Group. That's great news! I have heard David speak several times and he is great: an extraordinary combination of humor and deep faith, which audiences love and what our culture needs. I always leave his talks wiser and more joyful. One caution though: tell your speakers when scheduling at the same conference they will want to speak before David and not after. He is a tough act to follow."
Art Bennett - Manager of Employee Assistance Programs -TRIUNE Health Group
Co-author: The Temperament God Gave You, and The Temperament God Gave Your Spouse

"David Wilder has an uncanny ability to engage an audience and explain truths of the Faith in a way that the audience understands. You didn't realize there was a link between the Yankees weak bullpen and the role of the Sacraments in your spiritual life? David will explain it to you. Not sure how a 'rocking chair' can be used as an adjective for Catholicism and used to relate to our commitments as baptized Christians? Again, David makes all things clear. His current leadership roles and past experiences (whether it be at Lumen Institute, as a high school teacher, cultural influencer or basketball coach) give him great first-hand access to many concrete scenarios in which the application of the Social Teaching of the Church has been useful to solve problems - from business applications and youth development to academic excellence and family dynamics. Having a twin brother who is a good, holy priest also grants him special access and insight into the inner workings of the Church. If I had to buy him an airplane ticket and when asked "First Class or Coach?", I'd be utterly confused... because he's both!"
Dr. Edward Mulholland, Department Chair, Catholic Formation, Pinecrest Academy - Cumming, GA

"The late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen used to say that a test of any man's knowledge is whether or not he is able to give an example of what he is talking about. With this foundational criterion, David Wilder would be considered a very wise man. The experiences afforded him along his path of sales, education, apologetics, executive coaching and family life have filled his reservoir with meaningful illustrations and timely anecdotes that he uses seamlessly in drawing minds and hearts closer to the Faith. He loves Christ and it's illustrated in his love of Truth."
Peter Kreeft, PhD / Professor of Philosophy, Boston College; popular Christian apologist and author of over 50 titles including Back to Virtue and The Handbook of Christian Apologetics.

"My path crossed David's back in 1991 and I'm glad it did. He has worked hard and well for many years in the field of Catholic outreach to our society. His impassioned efforts, large and small, to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the truths of the Catholic Faith are bearing good fruit in the hearts and minds of those with whom he comes in contact, both personally and professionally. He gets results. I am pleased to recommend him as a fellow co-worker of the truth in the vineyard of The Lord."
Patrick Madrid / Director of the Envoy Institute of Belmont Abbey College

"Character and competence are the keys to effective leadership, and David gets the job done. From his community and church involvement to his ability to motivate and influence others, David walks the talk-creating a high trust culture and lasting relationships in the process. As a friend, I admire his dedication to causes beyond himself. As a colleague, I extend my trust to him abundantly."
Stephen M. R. Covey, author of The New York Times bestseller The Speed of Trust

"David is blessed to possess a keen ability to communicate sound doctrine, "hot issue" subject matter, and Church teachings with a refreshing balance of empathy, humor and intellect. During my years of working with and observing David as a apologetics trainer for our door-to-door Catholic lay missionaries, I have witnessed his ability to adapt to the audience he is addressing with true professionalism. He speaks with his audience not at them. I wish that I could have had fifty David Wilders training our young adults around the country. He receives my highest recommendation."
Paul T. Bernetsky Former Executive Director, Youth for the Third Millennium (YTM)

"David is very bright, has a sharp wit, great insight and deep faith. All of this, and more, comes across with his excellent speaking skills."
William J. Bennett, Former U.S. Secretary of Education, author of the Book of Virtues; Host of Bennett Mornings in America

"David Wilder sets a standard for excellence in Catholic thought and presentation that all speakers should be measured by. If you are looking for a speaker that is always well-prepared, knows his audience, offers practical tools for improvement and will provide your group with something beyond the typical 'one time pump', then your search is over."
Rick Santorum / Former U.S. Senator (PA) / Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center - Washington DC

David was invited to speak to our top key leaders, presenting sales principles, tactics and techniques within our apostolic work. I was very impressed by 1) his professionalism and magnetic salesmanship, 2) his obvious extensive preparation in analysis and research of this audience to pinpoint his presentations the exact needs of our group, 3) his use of respectful humor to engage the audience which kept them captivated and 4) his insistence on 'take home value' by including his real life experiences and other examples that our team could relate to and implement. His approach would best be described as 'high-impact, clear, concise, challenging' as the participants were shown how Gospel charity is the foundation for sales and ultimately to the building up of their confidence. David will be a yearly presenter for us until heÕs in the pine box. He was that good."
Todd Brechbill / National Director of Boys Youth Programs/ Mission Network

"Most speakers are brought in to function like an alarm clock, to wake up the Catholic indifferent. David Wilder is more like a cannon blast! He has an extraordinary ability to take a group's fundamental message, whether it is aimed at men, women, youth, clergy, athletes, and craft a presentation or a workshop that clears away the fog stymieing organizational progress and meet their needs in a natural way. He leaves people saying, 'He was speaking to me' and that's what a good communicator is able to do. Many speakers claim to be able to do it... but David actually pulls it off."
Luanne Zurlo, Executive Director - World Education and Development Fund

"David Wilder has been a key speaker at our popular Three to Get Married Marriage Preparation program for a number of years, directing workshops on parenting and managing household finances with young couples. His style is engaging, highly interactive and personal. His conferences and workshops are consistently among the highest rated by the couples in the evaluations we do each time. He is an indispensable asset to our program."
Fr. Richard Gill, Director of Our Lady of Mt. Kisco Retreat Center, Mt. Kisco, NY

"David Wilder recently gave a sales presentation to a group of our employees and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. His presentation was extremely professional and spoke to all of the technical/instructional elements that we had wanted him to deliver, but it was what he did beyond that which made the biggest impact. With every instructional point he made, he took each and put it into a Catholic perspective. Using real world examples he showed us how we can practically go out and handle the difficult situations we encounter everyday in our work, without ever compromising our Catholic principles. His superb knowledge of Catholic theology and philosophy was clearly evident in his talk and he presented everything in a way which was very easy to understand and VERY entertaining. Though he spoke to us in a professional business setting, I immediately thought of several other groups outside of work that I'd love for him to come and address also. Given the breadth of his knowledge and his ability to communicate and entertain, I'm sure he will be fantastic in front of any audience. If you have an opportunity to get him, don't let that opportunity get away."
D'Arcy Wills / National Director / Sports Leader

"There is no one better than David Wilder at scaling his message of faith and truth to any audience, from a group of young boys up to a room full of successful business leaders. The gentle, yet skillful delivery of his message is inviting and leaves the listener wanting to hear more. I have watched David pummel, albeit charitably, difficult subjects into terms that all can understand during our collaborative apologetics efforts. As a friend he has demonstrated only the highest degree of loyalty and integrity, one that I and my family have grown to count on. No matter how challenging a situation David may find himself in, it would be inconceivable for that opportunity to pass without all his best efforts to extinguish the problem at hand. He promises a lot and delivers more. He is solutions-oriented and hard-wired for influence... and the object of that influence is Christ. I am honored to be considered his friend."
Christopher Madrid, apologist & friend, President of the ConQuest Boys Club - Sparta NJ Club

"It's been said that education is what you've got after you have forgotten the material - it's what's left over. With this presenter, your group will be well-educated because of his unique ability to make stuff stick. If you want greater organizational clarity with a Catholic identity and need a presentation that drives decision making and provides results your people will recognize and REMEMBER, then David Wilder's your guide."
Daniel Schreck / Director of Young Adult Outreach for the Archdiocese of New York

"David has a unique gift for helping individuals and organizations attract, form and mobilize people to find and fulfill their God-given mission. His ideas and proven strategies work and that is why he has had so much success in working with clergy and laity alike."
Sean Wolfington / Entrepreneur / Co-owner of Metanoia Films / Producer of BELLA

"David and I have worked together as part of a series of speakers at the Summer Catechetical Institute at Bradley University sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Peoria and it is a privilege for me to recommend him. The Maximus Group Catholic speaker's bureau has included a fine man. He has distinguished himself in many capacities of leadership in evangelization and apologetics, as his vitae clearly reveals. I have long been impressed with his burning zeal for our Lord in his Church. He will greatly enhance the power of The Maximus Group's outreach."
The Reverend Ray Ryland, Ph.D., J.D., Chaplain, Coming Home Network - Steubenville, OH.

"In organizing Theology on Tap here in New York, I come across a host of talented speakers. Hands down, the finest we've been blessed to have presented is David Wilder. His talk The Top Ten Reasons People Leave the Catholic Church was flawlessly executed, received rave reviews and was by far the topic that achieved the most audience participation. His preparation is evident; his approach is riveting and the results he's quick to credit Our Lord. If I could secure only one speaker to come back year after year (with the high expectation that we could be presented with something new, fresh and highly impactful each and every time) it would be David Wilder."
Juan Rodriguez "Arthanius" / Defenders of the Holy Trinity - St. Mary's Church NYC

"I still remember the first talk I heard from David Wilder years ago, and I've had the pleasure of hearing him several times since. He's the kind of speaker who puts bracing insights, genuine humor and a dynamic presentation at the service of the Church. But more than simply giving a good speech, his life's work backs up his words and gives his message the power that comes only from authenticity of witness."
Tom Hoopes, Executive Editor of the National Catholic Register and with his wife, April, Editorial Co-Director of Faith & Family magazine.

"Time is Kingdom. Since there are only so many hours in a day to organize an event well and equally limited opportunities to gather and impact your group, it is imperative to secure the best formators and influencers you can get the first time around. In my judgment, you cannot go wrong with David Wilder. He gets down to the 'brick and mortar' of how to build successful, practical solutions to today's vexing challenges in Catholic evangelization, parenting and overall discipleship. If your organization is still feeling the ill effects of doing something poorly (even one time) and sense your next offering needs to unfailingly capture (or recapture) audience interest and support, then lock-in David. You'll be glad you did."
Jennifer Miller [Executive Director, Bioethics International]