I read these words over and over: “We exist to prepare vocational Christian workers and ministry leaders for local churches throughout the world.” My heart resonated with the statement, and I wanted to be involved in this cause. Today, I am excited and thankful to share that the next season of my life and ministry will be devoted to this very thing!
40 days ago I announced to my church family that God was leading me to another place of ministry. The night before my announcement, I told my wife, “I feel like I’m about to step off a cliff.” I had reached a decision that God had another assignment for me, but I did not know where. I shared my decision with our church and said, “God has something else for me to do. I do not yet know what that will be. Faith (my wife) and I are seeking the Lord’s direction and will wait on Him to lead us. It will probably involve pastoring, teaching, or some combination of both. When God is leading, we must obey. I’ve walked with God long enough to know when He is moving me in a direction, and that is what is happening now. I know you will understand that I must follow His will for my life.”
My wife and I were prepared to wait months for God to direct us to a new place of ministry. It seems that sometimes we wait on God, and other times we are almost running to keep up with Him. The past three weeks have been the latter of those two.
Three weeks ago, Jim Tillotson, President of Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary, called me. We met the following week, and he invited me to the campus in Ankeny, Iowa, just outside of Des Moines. My wife and I traveled there last week. President Tillotson and several members of the college and seminary faculty interviewed me, and I was offered a position, which I enthusiastically accepted.
My role at Faith will be Professor of Pastoral Training. Responsibilities will include teaching Homiletics, Pastoral Theology, and other related classes, as well as overseeing the Ministry Training program. I could not be more thrilled at this opportunity.
The statement at the beginning of this article is from the school’s official documents. Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary exists to prepare vocational Christian workers and ministry leaders for local churches throughout the world. During its 95-year existence, the school has established a reputation for maintaining solid, conservative theology; cultivating warm-hearted devotion to Christ; and graduating Christian servants who are in positions of ministry all over the world. There are approximately 6000 alumni of Faith living in all 50 United States and in 35 countries. It is one of the few Bible colleges to achieve both regional and national accreditation.
President Jim Tillotson is completing his first year of leadership there. He has brought fresh vision and energy, and I am excited to be part of his team. I look forward to serving along with the many godly men and women already there equipping a new generation of Christian workers and ministry leaders. To FBBC&TS students who are reading this, I look forward to meeting you in the Fall!
God is good. He has always provided me with a place of ministry that is way beyond my hopes and expectations. I will have much to learn in making the transition from pastoring to teaching, but I am glad for the new challenge and for the opportunity to equip and encourage pastors. Please pray for us as we move, settle, and begin!
Dean H. Taylor 
I am so very excited for you! It sounds like a great fit!
Dean,
You’re filling some big shoes succeeding “Dr. Bob” Domokos… both in the classroom and behind the wheel of the John Deere lawnmower (they did tell you about that part of the job, didn’t they? 😉 )! Though I’m sad to see a beloved professor retire (and know that they don’t get more beloved than Dr. Bob), I’m eager to see how the Lord works in this new development, both for you and for the students at my alma mater.
Congratulations.
God is so very good!!! My prayers go with you.
Dean,
I’m excited to hear that you will be coming to FBBC&TS. God is good and I look forward to meeting you. I graduated from Faith in 2015 and am serving as a full-time pastor. My ministry training at Faith was priceless. I’m excited to hear about and watch as God uses you here in Iowa and abroad.
Thanks everyone for the kind words.
Greg, I had the privilege of spending some time with Dr. Bob while I was there. He is gold! I will never try to fill his shoes, but I certainly hope to learn from him and do my best to have some degree of impact like him. My understanding is he plans to keep mowing after retirement :-). I’m not going to try to get him off of that tractor.
I look forward to the ministry there and hope we will cross paths along the way.
Aaron I look forward to meeting you! I hope to connect with pastors in the area when we get there. Send me a message in the Fall and we’ll have coffee or lunch.
Greg, I would be interested to know, what made Dr. Domokos a great teacher?
Congratulations on your appointment! I am an FBBC grad (many years ago) and I continue to be pleased with the direction of the school. Dr. Bob came on the faculty when I was a student.
It would be a joy to visit with you about the school before you move. Let me know if you would like to do lunch sometime.
donnarms@nouthetic.org
It’s been a while for me, but from what I can recollect, he was good at offering critiques without making you feel you were being criticized. He had a wealth of wisdom and practical experience that he shared generously from. He pointed you to other examples within the state of pastors who were serving as good models in particular areas. He modeled servantood, with things like the mowing. For me personally, my wife and I were first acquainted with him when the was the interim pastor at Altoona, the church we ended up joining and serving in during our time in Iowa.
Hey Donn, Thank you very much. Faith (my wife) has good memories of her class with you!
I’d love to get together. I’ll try to get in touch soon.
Thank you for sharing these things. Very helpful for me as I prepare for this role.
My husband and I are both graduates of Faith and my husband currently serves on the pastoral staff here in Ankeny. So we are “locals” :). It’s exciting for us to here and see what God is doing at Faith. We are so happy to have you and excited to see how God will use you here in Ankeny and essentially all throughout the world as you train leaders!
*hear not here 😉