I was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and raised along with my younger sister by my mother. My father died when I was five years old, leaving my mother to raise us by herself. As far as my early education, I attended St. Peter’s Catholic School in Pascagoula, Mississippi. As far as the church, my family were members of Asbury Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.
I attended/graduated from Grambling State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. While at Grambling, I played football under Coach Eddie Robinson. I was a member of the team when Coach Robinson broke Paul (Bear) Bryant Career Wins record. Coach Robinson and others were instrumental in my life and helped me become the man I am today.
On July 11, 1996, I married my wife, LaTynia Mitchell, and we have been married for 24 years. Together we have four children: 2 adult sons, 2 teenage daughters (HS Junior & 8th grade), and one granddaughter.
In 2000, I enlisted in the U.S. Army, where I served for eight years as a Non-Commissioned Officer/E-5 as a Military Police (MP) officer. I had multiple tours all over the world. I enjoyed serving my country and would do it again in a heartbeat.
In 2006 I felt a call to public ministry, and my family joined New Life International Christian Center in Heidelberg, Germany. Under the tutelage of Pastor Michael Newsome, my training in ministry and understanding my call began. I was licensed to preach the Word in 2006. In November 2007, my family and I moved from Germany to Columbia, South Carolina. In December 2007, my family and I began serving at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Columbia, SC, where I received my Ordination to Word & Sacrament in their tradition. I officially retired from the U.S. Army on January 18, 2008. I served Cornerstone as the Associate Pastor, and my wife served as the Children’s Church Director until October 2013.
For the next two years, I went through a “wilderness” time in my life, and my family right along with me. God called me to leave Cornerstone Baptist, and I thought it was to become a pastor of another church. However, it was to teach me a lesson. It was to humble me down. It was to show me the real importance of ministry. Ministry had become more about me than about God and God’s people. I had taken God out of my equation altogether. I learned a lot during those two years in the wilderness, wandering from church to church. The most important thing I learned was to listen to God. As I listened and walked with God, I began to pray differently. I asked God to use me in whatever way God saw fit. It still took a long time for me to discern God’s answer. When I accepted that it was not my time to be the pastor of a church, I stopped asking for a pastoral job and asked to be a servant. Led by the Holy Spirit, my family and I began attending Christ Mission Lutheran Church here in Columbia.
I graduated with my Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in May of 2012. However, I felt there was something more calling for me, so I enrolled at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in December 2012 and started classes in January 2013 to begin work on my Masters in Divinity. I also entered the candidacy process to become a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA).
My family and I stayed at Christ Mission until October 2016, when I was assigned to St Paul’s Lutheran Church. Not only was I in seminary, but I was also the Mission Developer/Pastor of New Life Ministry, which was a Prison Ministry at the Department of Juvenile Justice through the SC Synod, ELCA. Through New Life Ministry I established and ran the Positive Change Program at the Department of Juvenile Justice, where young men become a part of positive change through structured learning objectives, meetings, 1-on-1 conferences, and academic life goals. I also implemented the R.A.P. Program (Rhythmic American Poetry Program), where juveniles could express themselves through abstract poetry. It was successful and garnered attention from others not in the program.
At this point in my journey, I have graduated Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary with my Master of Divinity degree this past May. My family and I continue to trust in the Holy Spirit to lead us where God wants us to continue to minister. Currently, I preach every Sunday using Facebook live social media outlets to spread the Gospel all over the world. I strive to be an imitator of Christ developing and cultivating relationships in everyday encounters with people. I love to inspire, motivate, and create a vision for those who are seeking purpose and meaning to life by introducing them to the life-giving promise of Jesus. I believe congregational missional leadership empowers and encourages teamwork, and identifies the synergies created throughout the team that unites and pushes them closer to the end goal.
I am passionate about pastoral care and caring for others. I believe that Christian service at church, or ministry in the parish, is all about connecting with people, showing them that you care, bridging gaps, and spreading the love of God and the peace of Christ. It also involves changing things that are not working and building things that will last. It is about turning the congregation vision into a working reality – to show people there is a better way to live their lives in a relationship with Jesus. It is my purpose to show and tell people that no matter what their situation, God is there with them.
I love my family, and we are a team when it comes to ministry. Family is an essential part of my life. I am a people person, and I enjoy empowering people to serve in the way God calls them in their vocation. I enjoy teaching our youth and watching the light in their eyes when they learn something new in the church. I do not mind being out front when it comes to cultivating relationships, and I also work well among people, guiding them in the direction of the vision and missional goal to become fishers of people. I believe that growing alongside a congregation is a gift and a humbled position, as we all seek a better relationship with God.