Associate Pastor Hopes to Help Reach Community

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By Heather Harper

Tommy Hamilton, the new associate pastor at Memphis First Christian Church, has been working since being hired in the beginning of June to help foster an atmosphere of worship and building community bonds.

Hamilton, a transplant from Ankeny, a Des Moines suburb, has his roots in southern Missouri, and has also lived in several other states including Colorado and North Carolina before coming back to the Midwest. He and his wife have two young children.

His father, a minister, was a source of inspiration for Hamilton to eventually go into ministerial service when he was older. According to Hamilton, “I grew up with my dad being a minister, He loved God and served people and with me seeing him in that role he encouraged me to go into ministry and lead people to Christ, I felt this call when I was in 5th Grade and since I read that Jesus wants us to make disciples I needed to be in ministry. So, I can be paid to do this job which I love. So, with my job I teach kids and adults to lead music and teach kids in a way that brings us to God. Our worship needs to be to Him, and I am here to lead people to the throne room of our heavenly Father.”

Hamilton received his post-secondary ministerial education at Central Christian College of the Bible, earning a certificate in worship and his associates degree then received his bachelor’s at Ozark Christian College in Joplin.

Regarding how he chose to relocate to Memphis for the new job, which began with a job search on OCC’s job search page: “They have websites like at Ozark and Central on their website you can find churches looking for ministers and the also have listings of other ministry openings churches have submitted. It’s kind of like an Indeed, but for ministry.” Additionally, picking Memphis as a new homebase for he and his family allowed them to foster closer relationships within their new community.

He applied to First Christian Church, speaking with Pastor Jack Sumption, who communicated with the church board, with an ongoing one-to-two-month dialogue that culminated in the board approving Hamilton’s being hired as the new associate pastor. After being hired Hamilton began his new position on June 1.

He has been involved with ministry for over twenty years, having been in a paid ministerial position for fifteen years.

When speaking of his involvement in church there are a variety of things he has been involved with or will be involved with. For example, regarding community engagement he has done