The College Ministry: New Leader, Same Mission

When I was a kid, I never wanted to become a minister.
That is a surprising statement, but true. When I was born in Houston, Texas, my father was a youth minister. Sometime after my first birthday, our family moved to North Carolina so Dad could preach. Growing up as a preacher’s kid, you see behind the curtain. Of course, God moved in wonderful ways, but I had a front row seat for the burdens and sacrifices of ministry.
Yet as I entered high school, I began to feel that small nudge by God to consider ministry. As Jesus profoundly transformed my life, the one thing I knew was that I wanted to help others find this same transformation. I wrestled with this calling until my senior year, when I finally committed to come to Harding and earn a Bible degree.
My passion for disciple-making has only increased since I graduated from Harding and became the college minister here. As I have settled into this new role, I have been met with nothing but welcoming support. I am thankful to this church for the way it has received my wife, Hannah, and me. In July, my ministry consisted mostly of preparation for the fall semester. Since students have returned, I have been very excited to walk alongside so many as they seek to become disciples of Jesus.
I am grateful for my time as a student in our College Ministry and the example Grant gave me. I still remember the first Sunday I visited College Church and fell in love with the ministry. We intend to carry on the same mission I believed in as a student: to make disciples who make disciples.
Why? Because we know that one day “a great multitude . . . from every nation, tribe, people and language” will stand “before the throne and the Lamb,” worshiping God (Rev. 7:9-10). Since we know that’s where we are headed, we want as many people as possible to come with us. Therefore, we live on mission— helping those who are far from God find salvation and helping those in Christ to be mature believers.
A primary pathway to this kind of transformation is found in disciple-making groups. This simple scaffolding helps us grow into the kind of disciples we want to become.
As I begin this journey, I look back and chuckle at the kid who was so adamantly against becoming a minister. The more I step into this role, the more my passion for disciple-making increases, and I am thrilled to see what God will do as we learn to live our lives in light of eternity.