Hayden began his ministry at St. Matthew's Church in 2012 as a Lay Reader and Catechist. He was ordained as a Deacon in 2014, and stepped into new pastoral roles as a Preacher and a Eucharistic Minister. In 2016, Hayden was ordained as a Priest, and developed ministries in Spiritual Direction and Visitation. In 2018, Hayden was appointed as the Associate Rector of the church, and developed as an Administrator of parish ministries and communications. He also serves as the Chairman of the Diocesan Commission on Ministry, as a member of the Standing Committee, and is an instructor with the Bishop's Pastoral Ministry Training Course.Parish Bio | https://stmatthewsnewport.com/our-staff/Blog | https://www.stmatthewsnewport.com/st-matthews-church-blogSermons | http://stmatthewsnewport.com/author/hbutler/

https://www.hildegard.college/faculty-fellows

In 2014, Hayden was invited to launch Pacifica Christian High School in Newport Beach as the founding Chair of the English Department. He developed the scope and sequence of the Literature curriculum and established the Socratic mode of teaching as a flagship pedagogy of the school. Hayden also founded the Pacifica Student Government through a year-long guided course in directing students how to conceive of and craft a Constitution to govern themselves and their successors as student leaders. Hayden has given several talks at The Great Conversation colloquia on a variety of literary and educational topics. On campus, he is regularly to be found among his students in conversation about their lives and offering spiritual direction.Staff Profile | http://www.pacificaoc.org/team/english/

In 2003, Hayden participated in one of the first few summer camps that Wheatstone offered. The experience profoundly influenced his decision to attend the Torrey Honors Institute to pursue further study with a number of Wheatstone keynote speakers. In 2008, he came on staff as a Mentor, where he quickly developed a love for the Wheatstone project. He would spend the next decade supporting Wheatstone in a variety of capacities as part of a wondrous team that invites youth into Christian adulthood.Educator Mentor, Event Speaker, Student Mentor

As an alumnus of CVCS, Hayden jumped at the opportunity to fill a part-time position as he left college with an English degree. He fell in love with teaching the students at his alma mater, and quickly grew into a full-time faculty member under the tutelage of his one-time teacher, then boss and mentor, Mrs. Margery Haney. When Haney retired, Hayden stepped succeeded her in the role as department chair. During his tenure there, Hayden taught across the disciplines in English, Mathematics, and Biblical Studies, developing new and rigorous courses for students. He also participated widely in student life, chaperoning almost every school dance and participating in too many choreographed dances to remember them all. On a given day, he could be found among his students talking about their lives and sharing a cup of tea.

Toward the end of his career as an undergraduate at Biola, Hayden sought out and was granted the opportunity to train under the Chair of English, Dr. Aaron Kleist. For almost two years, Hayden learned the art and science of curriculum planning, pedagogy, assessments, and departmental management while being deeply informed by Dr. Kleist's profound pastoral care for his students, his attentive intuition, and his unrelenting personal pursuit of excellence.

Hayden's first teaching job was as an assistant instructor with United Studios of Self-Defense at the Mission Viejo I studio under the Chief Instructor, Sensei Jon Mannos. It was there that he began to learn how to form and train others in complex skills, how to track student development over time, and how to work as a part of a team of instructors. It was there that Hayden also came to understand the direct connection between ongoing pursuit of his own expertise and the quality of his instruction.