The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has taken another step toward building a family ministry focus in the field of Christian education with the recent hiring of Timothy Jones as assistant professor of leadership and church ministry.
Randy Stinson, dean of the School of Leadership and Church Ministry, said pastoral experience and a vision for unified, family ministry make Jones the right fit for the position. Jones is a graduate of Southern, having completed his doctor of education from the seminary in 2003.
“Through the interview process, it became clear to me that Dr. Jones is going to be an important part of the School of Leadership emphases in the coming decades,” he said. “He is an experienced pastor and a disciplined author. His classroom instruction will be informed by his experience and his multiple books and articles add to our academic influence and credibility. He will also be able to help us coordinate some key writing projects over the next few years.
“The fact that he is a product of this seminary means he is already wholeheartedly committed to its vision and direction and will be able to hit the ground running as soon as classes start.”
Jones co-authored “The Da Vinci Codebreaker” and has written several books, including “Christian History Made Easy,” “Prayers Jesus Prayed,” “Finding God in a Galaxy Far Far Away” and “Misquoting Truth.” Above all, Jones said he desires to help students prioritize ministering to their families and leading churches in a way that emphasizes spiritual growth.
“There is a point that the people in my previous congregation heard over and over during my time there: What you do for God beyond your home will not typically be greater than what you practice with God within your home,” he said. “There is a deep need among men and women for a focus on their home lives, training them how to guide their families and how to relate to family members in constructive and godly ways.
“Too often, churches have expected families somehow to become integrated at home, even as we “dis-integrate” their families at church, attempting to lead them to spiritual maturity as isolated individuals without modeling for them how to work together as families. I believe that Dr. Stinson’s family-centered focus will help to accomplish that.”
Jones said lessons learned from 14 years of ministerial experience would help him equip students for local church ministry. Jones served as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Rolling Hills in Tulsa, Okla., from 2003-2007 after serving as the church’s minister to students. Previously, he served for six years as pastor of Green Ridge Baptist Church in Green Ridge, Mo.
Having enjoyed his time as a student at Southern, Jones said he looks forward to moving into the role of professor at the seminary.
“Ever since the first moment I set foot on this campus, I have absolutely loved this place,” Jones said. “It has been a place of joy for me and my wife. My passion is to equip students to guide church ministries in ways that are rooted first and foremost in the Scriptures and in biblical theology, then in compassion for people’s real needs and in awareness of their cultural contexts.”
Jones directed the Tulsa Extension Center of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 2002-2005 and taught there as adjunct professor of Greek.
Jones completed his master of divinity at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1996. He and his wife Rayann married in 1994. In 2003, they adopted Hannah Rachel Jones, who is now 11.