Singer-Songwriter. Arranger. Ordained Minister in the United Church of Christ. Working for Disability Justice.
Rev. Jacob Nault, known to some as “The Six-Fingered Pianist”, has leveraged his disability, his talent as a musician, and his Eden education to become an advocate for social justice locally and nationally, practicing liberation theology across issues and in unlikely places.
Jacob’s Journey to Eden
Jacob has a passion for music, and originally thought he would pursue a career in music education. But Jacob had another thing coming. He realized that while music was always going to be a big part of his life and career, ordained ministry was his calling. And he listened.
“Other people saw my call way before I did. When I think about my call story, I think about the call of Samuel and Jonah. I see parts of myself in both stories.” – Rev. Jacob Nault
Jacob chose Eden for his Seminary education because many of his mentors in ministry had received their degrees at Eden, and because of Eden’s focus on community and social justice. During a visit to the campus in 2019, Jacob had the opportunity to sit down and have lunch with Eden faculty and students. He learned about their work within the social justice and ministry work within the community. He enrolled that year and received his Master of Divinity in 2021.
“Eden helped me become a more empowered practical theologian, understanding that the way we do theology can actually be drawn from our lived experience.” – Rev. Jacob Nault
Jacob the Disability Justice Advocate
Jacob has Cerebral Palsy, a lifelong neurological condition often leading to difficulties with movement, posture, and muscle coordination (www.cerebralpalsycenter.com). That’s why he’s known as the “Six Fingered Pianist” – he plays using only one of the fingers on his left hand.
One of the reasons his time at Eden was significant was that it was the first place that Jacob learned about disability theology as a practice.
“As I think about it now, it feels like “Duh!,” but the idea that there was a part of theology that could speak to my experience as a disabled person was groundbreaking at the time.” – Rev. Jacob Nault
Today, Jacob volunteers his time advocating for accessibility and inclusion within the United Church of Christ (UCC). He serves on the UCC Disabilities Ministries Board, and chairs the Disability Theology Committee. In these roles he develops resources, shares devotionals on social media, creates music for the denomination that speaks to disability justice, and more.
Jacob the Small Town Pastor
Jacob is also a full-time pastor at Union Congregational Church in Waupun, Wisconsin. Waupun is a rural town of 11,000, yet it’s home to the largest maximum security prison in the state.
“It’s odd to be thinking about liberation and justice, pastoring in a town where one of the biggest contributors to the local economy is the criminal justice system.” – Rev. Jacob Nault
Yet, Jacob stays committed to progressive Christian values in a town full of conservative churches. This year, Jacob has found himself in the center of a controversy during an ultra-right campaign to ban books that feature the LGBTQ+ community at local libraries. Jacob spoke out, sharing that not all theological viewpoints supported banning the books. As a result of Jacob’s advocacy, folks have steadily been more interested in progressive theological viewpoints; visitors often report to Jacob that his preaching feels refreshing in comparison to other churches they’ve attended.
“My community advocacy here in Waupun seems like it sort of happened by accident.” – Rev. Jacob Nault
There’s still a long way to go, as more explicitly affirming theological views are fairly rare in the community. But he’s learned from his community that small steps, incremental change, and patience are the pathway toward justice.
“What I’ve learned in this whole process is you have to meet people where they are, sometimes stumble, realize your priorities won’t be their priorities, but try to move the needle in a small way. If the arc of the moral universe is long but bends toward justice, if I can just bend that arc even a little, I feel like I’m doing what God is calling me to do.” – Rev. Jacob Nault
Jacob the Musician
Through it all, Jacob never abandoned his passion for music. He’s currently working on music that will be published through the Convergence Music Project. Jacob’s music thematically focuses on theology and disability justice. This year, he developed a website to showcase his music. Explore Jacob’s songwriting and advocacy here: www.jacobnault.com.
