What is your religious/denominational background? Briefly describe you level of participation in a local church. Include any ministry experience, ordination, etc.

My first real encounter with church was Southern Baptist when I was a teenager.  Since becoming a Christian and accepting a call to ministry, I currently consider myself a just a Baptist.  I am currently the minister of youth at Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, Texas.

What is your educational background (e.g. your undergraduate major, other degrees, etc.)?

I have a Bachelor’s degree in “Christianity” (Christian Studies) from a small Baptist school in Georgia – Brewton Parker College.

What are your career plans for after Truett?

My long term goals are to pursue further education in Old Testament studies and Hebrew.  I love studying Wisdom Literature, particularly in a post 9/11 world, as pop culture seems to have offered many interpretations on wisdom, God, and suffering in the last few years.  This is a certainly a long term goal – I am not in my current ministry to simply pay the bills and I will be in the position for many years to come and my wife may want to pursue further education in her field (egalitarianism is more than a hyphenated name), so we’ll see if my long term goals ever come to fruition or change their form.

How can this course best serve you?

I think that pastoral and academic study of scripture do not have to be mutually exclusive.  I love intelligent and well read discussions of scripture that do not ignore potential applications.