Chapter 2 · 1986 to 1996
Bob Jones University
Tony's training for ministry at BJU (BA, MA and Master of Divinity) and his first ministry role, as a pastor's assistant in Decatur, GA, from 1989 to 1990.
I went to Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, to prepare for the ministry. In 1986 I was welcomed into the Alpha Omega Delta literary society, and the certificate still hangs on to its old corners.
From 1989 to 1990 I served as a pastor’s assistant at a church in Decatur, Georgia. It was my first ministry role.
I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Studies, then a Master of Arts in Pastoral and Chaplaincy Studies, and in 1996 a Master of Divinity, the degree that prepares a man for ordination and for service as a military chaplain. Later I added a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Erskine Theological Seminary (2001).
What I learned: preparation is a gift you give to the people you will one day serve.