In 1977 David was a professor in New Testament at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2013 he was appointed Interim President of Luther College. His biography from Luther College states the following:

A Danforth Fellowship sent him on his way from St. Olaf College, through his theological studies at Princeton and Luther Theological Seminaries, to the completion of his Harvard University Ph.D. He taught in Claremont Ca., Luther Seminary, and Yale Divinity School. He has served as an ELCA pastor and written a range of resources for use in the ecumenical church and public. His teaching, research and publications center in the New Testament and Christian origins.

He was President of Luther Seminary for 18 years, occupied the distinguished Bernhard M. Christensen Chair in Religion and Vocation at Augsburg College for 5 years, and served briefly as the interim president of Wartburg Seminary.