Dear Search Committee

The following is pure self-promotion and entirely different from what I typically post here. However, I have given the address of this blog to people whom I am talking to about jobs so I thought that a post giving them some information would be relevant. If you are such a person, welcome to my blog. I think maybe a FAQ format would be good, so here it goes.

What experience do you have in ministry?
Well, other than serving as a Centrifuge counselor and a Crosspoint camp pastor, I have not been paid for any of my ministry experience. I was paid to speak at churches with the Samford Sunday program while I was an undergraduate, but I am not sure that counts.

The other experiences that I do have have been voluntary. Because I was not limited to paid positions, I have been able to strategically position myself in programs where I could learn. I worked with a thriving college ministry at the Church at Brook Hills. There I learned a lot about college ministry, creating and hosting small groups, working with career age young adults, and speaking/teaching. I currently work with FBC Alabaster where I developed a successful Sunday School class for young married families which I still lead. I have also gone on hospital and home visits and preached a number of times. Leading that class is very much like running a program because it is more that showing up on Sundays. There is pastoral care, programming, and setting up small group meetings.

My hope is always that people will understand that simply because I was not paid, I still acquired experiences as if I had been. I also hope that people understand that I know what church work is all about. With a father who has been a pastor since I was born, I am very aware of how churches and ministry works. I have been mentored all my life for a life in ministry.

You work at the Red Cross right now. How does that prepare you to do ministry?
Excellent question. I work at the Red Cross because after seminary I did not want to leave FBC Alabaster just as we got started, and Alabaster could not pay me. I was also toying with the idea of getting my PhD, so I did not feel that it would be appropriate to be on a church staff for a year and then leave. Having decided not to get my PhD, I began looking for a position with a church, and thus, here we are.

The Red Cross has had its benefits. For one, I get benefits, and I get paid. It has also allowed me to learn a ton about administration, volunteer development, supervision of staff, and just good organizational skills. On top of that, I get to help people who are often in the midst of the very lowest point of their lives. God has allowed me to develop in some real and tangible ways.

What is something that you want us to know?
First, please know that I have a serious passion for ministry that is birthed out of a call from God. This desire to minister and shepherd people is woven throughout my heart, mind, and soul. There are parts of me that have always pointed to ministry. God has given me special measures of compassion and patience. He has also given me a teaching heart that helps me lead people to Him.

Second, please know that I am a hard worker and a smart worker. I have had success in every job I have ever taken. I was good bookstore manager (promoted to manager after a few months). I am a good Red Cross worker (promoted after about three months). In just two years I have become one of the most highly trained Red Cross employees in Alabama, and keep in mind that this is not a job that I plan on doing very long. I don't know that these things make me a great minister, but I do know that they cannot hurt. The point is that I work hard, and my work ethic combined with my passion for ministry is something that I know God can use for His glory.

I know that God will place me where He desires. But, I do want to use every format available to express the fact that I have a true passion for ministry, and I have been preparing for this career for a long, long time. I pray as I have always prayed, that God will use me for His glory.