Introducing our Candidate Pastor for Worship and Family

Pastor Dave Atkins and his wife Sharon will be visiting JIBC August 19-30 as a candidate for our new Pastor for Worship and Family Position. Please pray for Dave and Sharon as they consider God’s calling in their lives.

Below are some excerpts from Pastor Dave’s CV that should help you get to know him better:

MINISTRY PHILOSOPHY

Life is worship, and worship is a response. There is never a moment of the day when we aren’t living our life in response to something or someone. This philosophy opens worship in regards to the Church to include all things outside the church. The question is not whether we worship. The question is who or what we worship. The purpose of believers, both individually and corporately, is to glorify God. To glorify God is to live our lives in response to Him, first of all, who He is, and second, what He has done for us as His children. Music is only a part of that response. The purpose of a music ministry is to glorify the triune God and to provide a place for believers to worship as a united, single-minded whole in song. For centuries, the music of the Church has been used to express truth and Spirit in song, to communicate theology and doctrine, and to unite the minds and hearts of the Church in the worship of our glorious King.

MINISTRY MISSION

My mission as a worship leader is to see the Body of Christ glorify God as a single community, like-minded, loving and serving the Lord and each other with passion and fervor. My desire in leading music is that the Body would be edified with musical excellence and lyrics that speak the truth of God’s Word. I seek to provide a place where believers are confronted with the beauty of God, the depths of their sin, and the heights of His grace in a setting that is both secure and liberating for them to adore their God.

MINISTRY CALL

I believe that the purpose of all God’s creations is to glorify Him. I believe that to be true of me. I also
believe that God has allowed me to use my talents and gifts to not only glorify Him but to bring about His
glory through the worship of His Church.

LEADERSHIP STYLE

I believe the most effective leader is one who leads by example, and the one I most trust to lead is the one who follows Christ. So, that is what I strive to do. I believe in enabling the Body. I believe in serving the individual and providing guidance and encouragement to help them find where they best fit in this Body of Christ.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

Childhood
I was born April 24, 1980 in the thriving metropolis of Paris, Texas to a youth pastor and elementary school teacher. We had lived there for twelve years when, in 1992, we moved to Sarasota, Florida, where both of my parents took jobs as Christian school teachers. I have two younger sisters: Cora, who is two years younger and Robyn, who is ten years younger. Cora, and her husband Clint, became mother and father to a lively year and a half old daughter, and Robyn is starting her second year in college. As I grew up, I went through the standard awkward phases: braces, voice cracks, talking to girls, the usual. I was the short, fat, buck-toothed kid, so I had to learn not to take myself too seriously. I was always good with the arts and music, though I never thought it would amount to much. My family relocated back to Paris in 2000 and is living there still.

Conversion
It was a Sunday evening service, December 31, 1985, and I was five. A singer/songwriter named David Dale was singing his songs and giving his testimony of his walk with Christ. I was growing up in a Christian home, so “Jesus” was not an uncommon name for me to hear. But, it was on this night that for the first time, everything seemed to make sense. I knew I was a sinner and wanted to experience Jesus in my life the way this guitar player did in his. I went forward at the invitation and my dad, who was down in front, walked me through the Romans Road, and I met Jesus for real for the first time.

Currently
I graduated from seminary in May of 2007. I resigned my position at Scofield Church as of June 2007 as my internship there was complete. I currently work full-time as a claims adjuster supervisor at Santa Fe Auto Insurance. I continue to meet with college students on an informal basis. While the students were back home for the summer, my wife and took on the role of college ministry volunteers. I taught regularly on Sunday mornings, and we coordinated events for college students and met them on a one-on-one basis as well. At this time, though Sharon and I stay in touch with those students, we are enjoying being a newly married couple, attending a marriage couple’s class, while I take advantage of various opportunities to be involved with Scofield’s music ministry as the needs present themselves. Sharon was born in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex and has lived here most of her life. I ended up in Dallas by way of Sarasota and Clearwater, FL. We met while I was discipling her younger brother and really got to know each other while she was working as a nurse in Chicago. It worked out for the best because we were married on June 6, 2009. Sharon still works full time as a Nurse at Baylor Medical Center.

PERSONAL INTERESTS

I love stories and any medium for them, such as movies, books, plays, songs, etc. I love to read, especially more classic literature. Currently, I am working through St. Augustine’s Confessions and Dostoyevsky’s Notes From The Underground. I developed a love for playing the guitar almost seven years ago, and continue to strive to learn more about it as well as other musical instruments. I also enjoy getting to know people and their stories, investing in their lives and just hanging out in general.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

In my experience in ministry, I have found that my spiritual gifts are shepherding, teaching and serving. This has been confirmed in the community in which I have been most fortunate to serve these last almost seven years, and it has been in using these gifts that I have found the most fulfillment in my journey with Christ.

STRENGTHS & ABILITIES

By His word and His Spirit working in me and through the lives of those around me, I have learned the
importance of authenticity and the value of integrity. He has taught me the strength of being teachable, that there is much to learn, and that life is about the process. I have learned to be self-disciplined and selfmotivated, and the value of intentionality with my time, the tasks set before me, and those around me. Much of my musical background is in percussion instruments, including band and orchestral music. I have been playing the guitar for almost seven years. I have participated in a variety of vocal mediums, including choirs, ensembles and solos.

FORMAL EDUCATION

Graduate: DALLAS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY—May 2007
Masters of Theology
Emphasis: Christian Education
Bible Exposition

Undergraduate: CLEARWATER CHRISTIAN COLLEGE—May 2002
Bachelors of Science
Emphasis: Social Studies Education

MINISTRY EXPERIENCE

High School Assistant, Scofield Memorial Church 2/2003-6/2007

For the past four years, I have been involved with a high school guys small group. I began with the
graduating class of 2004. After they graduated, I began working with the incoming Sophomores and saw
them graduate in May 2007. I have walked with them these past years through a customized expositional
study of the books of James, Daniel, and Romans. I invested in their lives by attending sporting and school events, meeting with them one-on-one, and scheduling group events. For 3 ½ years until June 2007, I coordinated worship for the student ministry and various church-wide services (i.e. Good Friday service and Missions Sunday). I also supervised, trained and led the student praise team responsible for leading worship for Sunday morning meetings. This involved worship and leadership training for the students along with training in reading chord sheets, vocalization, harmonization, and rhythm. Another responsibility included picking songs based on theological soundness and in correlation with Biblical mandates. These songs ranged anywhere from hymns to contemporary praise music. I was also responsible for multi-media presentations of song lyrics and Scripture (i.e. Powerpoint and Media-shout), and the set up/tear down and maintenance of audio-visual equipment.

Worship Leader, Campus Crusade 9/2003-5/2004

During my time working with Campus Crusade, I was involved in the initial stages of establishing the
Campus Crusade ministry at the Richland College campus in Dallas, Texas. The bulk of my responsibilities involved music leading and relationship building. This involved song selection, media presentation of the lyrics and leading with a guitar. I also met with several of the college students for discipleship.

Camp Ministry Team Member, Clearwater Christian College Summer 2002

I was one of seven members sent out by my college to assist several Christian camps. Our assistance varied from camp to camp based on need. We were responsible for any general maintenance, special work projects, or ministerial needs, such as music, skits, counseling, or teaching. For several of the weeks, my role was to fill the need of camp counselor.

Central Bible Church, Youth Intern 9/2000-5/2002

I was taken on as youth intern primarily to manage and lead the youth hand-bell choir. The teens taught me hand-bell technique, and I kept them in time. My responsibilities included meeting with the teens on a weekly basis, attending events, both school and youth, selecting and teaching the hand-bell music, eventually teaching hand-bell technique to newcomers, and conducting. The choir competed and proceeded through regional to state competitions. My other responsibilities included attending events, both church and student events and investing in the students on a regular basis.