Rev. Snyder attended the University of Michigan from September 1991 to May 1995 and graduated with honors in Cultural Anthropology and Studies in Religion. Always interested in Asian cultures and traditions, Rev. Snyder lived in Tokyo, Japan in 1996, studying Buddhism at the Rissho Kosei-kai seminary. In 2000, he received a Doctor of Ministry from Meadville Lombard Theological School.

Previous to joining us in Wilmington, Rev. Snyder served Unitarian Universalist communities in various capacities. In his second year of theological school, he was a part-time minister in Stevens Point, Wisconsin through the Ministerial Outreach and Development program of the Central Midwest District. He was the first minister for that community. He did his Clinical Pastoral Education in the summer of 1997 in William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan where he worked primarily with amputees and did on-call emergency shifts.

From August of 1998 to May of 1999, he served as the first intern minister at the Community Church of Chapel Hill, Unitarian Universalist in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. His main projects were the establishment of a campus ministry and a young adult group, social action projects for Bosnian children and for families taken off of welfare. In July and August of 1999 he was the Summer Minister in Rockford, Illinois.

Rev. Snyder served Second Unitarian Church of Omaha as their minister from August 2000 to August 2008. He first came to Second Unitarian as an extension minister under a three-year contract. The goal then was to work with the church so that they could grow to the point where they could sustain full-time ministry without assistance from the UUA. After three years, Second Unitarian Church extended a call to settled ministry, and he served as their minister until he became our settled minister.

Rev. Snyder is a big football fan, particularly of the University of Michigan and enjoys other sports, supporting Michigan/Detroit teams. In the past he has done some martial arts, as well as having tried surfing! He likes to collect Asian art. He also enjoys video games, and is a self-taught cook. Rev. Snyder enjoys spending hours and hours in bookstores trying to find that one gem at a bargain price.

Rev. Snyder and his wife, Sharon have two sons, Thomas and Matthew.