Personal Bio
Ken Snodgrass was raised in South Texas and after backpacking in the mountains of northern New Mexico, decided to go to university in Colorado. He graduated from the Colorado School of Mines in 1980 with a degree in Chemical and Petroleum Refining Engineering.
Ken worked as a Reservoir Engineer for Exxon and Felmont Oil Company while completing a MBA at the University of Houston. He decided to make a career change from engineering into business and was hired by Shell Oil Company in their Supply Department.
During his 24 years working for Shell, Ken traded various refined products, crude oils, natural gas and power in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia. He worked for over 9 years in three assignments as an ex-patriate in London and The Hague (NL). His last position prior to 2014 retirement was as General Manager of Shell Energy Europe Ltd where he managed their London-based gas/power trading business and northern Europe marketing offices.
Ken enrolled at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and graduated in 2016 with a Master of Theological Study. His capstone research paper was a comparison of John Calvin’s and Karl Barth’s Theology of Work.
Ken is a life-long Christian. He was raised in the Presbyterian Church and was active in youth groups. He served as both a Deacon and Elder of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Upon his return to Houston from London in 1997, he joined the United Methodist Church (UMC) and is currently a member of Tarrytown UMC in Austin. He serves on the Southwestern University Board of Trustees and chairs the Investment Committee. He joined the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Board of Trustees in 2023.
About Writing the Book
Ken Snodgrass retired in 2014 after thirty-four years working in energy. His last position was General Manager of Shell Energy Europe Ltd. After 3 months of settling into his new community, Ken was sitting in a seminary classroom as a full-time graduate student. His goal was to answer a burning question: What is the connection between work and faith?
Ken attended seminary to study theology, church history and Scripture in preparation for writing this book. Ken has a degree in chemical engineering from Colorado School of Mines, a Master’s degree of business administration from University of Houston, and a master’s degree in theological studies from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Two years of study and 18 months of research later, Ken started writing Trading with God: 7 Steps to Integrate Your Faith into Your Work. The book takes the reader concisely through centuries of theological writings and Scripture, then gives working Christians practical steps to integrate their faith and work. Ken fuses theological concepts with his personal work experiences to highlight the 7 Steps and enables working Christians to find spiritual meaning in their daily working lives.
