Today I’m thrilled to bring you this conversation with Dr. Scott Womble, who was appointed Vice President of Academics at St. Louis Christian College in June 2017. Scott joined the college in 2002 and served as Professor of Bible. Prior to teaching at SLCC, Scott served as a full-time preaching minister in central Illinois for seven years.  Scott is the founder of the Biblical Higher Education Collaborative, a website that features a monthly podcast with a leader in biblical higher education (bhecollective.org). He also has a personal website that focuses on biblical interpretation (tscottwomble.com). Scott and his wife Lisa have been married for thirty-four years, and have two children and three grandchildren. In our conversation, we explore a variety of topics, including the role of sports on a Christian college campus, what Scott has learned in his teaching and academic journey, some of the exciting changes in our academic programs, and of course, his thoughts on the St. Louis Cardinals. To access the show notes for this episode, please visit https://stlchristian.edu/podcast002.

Called to Serve

002: Dr. Scott Womble, Academic Dean of SLCC

We’re excited to bring you this conversation with Joe Lieway, who is our Professor of Intercultural Mission and also teaches New Testament here at SLCC. Joe has been with us since 2008, and was previously the Campus Minister of International Students at Ball State University in Indiana.  Previous to that, Joe held ministries in Missouri and his home country of Liberia. Joe holds degrees from Emmanuel School of Religion as well as SLCC. In this conversation, Joe shares his powerful testimony of coming to Christ as a young man, how he experienced a call to ministry, and how he is growing in the Lord today. To access the show notes for this episode, please visit https://stlchristian.edu/podcast014.

014: Joe Lieway, Professor of Intercultural Missions & New Testament

We’re excited to bring you this conversation with Bill Thomas, who is the newest faculty member here at SLCC. Bill is a Professor of History and Education, as well as our Online Learning Coordinator. He also serves with First Christian Church in Washington, MO and has held ministries in Circleville, OH and Kansas City, KS. Bill holds degrees from the University of Kansas, Manhattan Christian College, and Johnson University. In our conversation, we focus on the value and distinction of online learning. Bill shares details about our upgraded online program in partnership with Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, MO.  To access the show notes for this episode, please visit https://stlchristian.edu/podcast013.

013: Professor Bill Thomas, Online Learning Coordinator

We’re excited to bring you this conversation with Dr. Don Sanders, who is the Director of the Merold Institute of Ministry and the Staff Development Pastor at Harvester Christian Church in St. Charles, MO. He is also a long-time adjunct for SLCC, teaching in the areas of ministry, Biblical languages, and education. Don is a 1991 graduate of SLCC, a graduate of Lincoln Christian University, and recently graduated from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with his doctorate.  In our conversation, we focus on the role of Christian higher education in the ministry landscape today. You’ll learn about online vs. face-to-face education, how The Merold Institute brings a unique approach to ministry education, the future of Christian higher education, and much more. To access the show notes for this episode, please visit https://stlchristian.edu/podcast012.

012: Dr. Don Sanders, Director of the Merold Institute of Ministry (St. Charles, MO)

We’re excited to bring you this conversation with Kevin Colclasure, who is the Lead Minister of Scott Avenue Christian Church in Newton, IL.  Kevin has held ministries in Nashville, Charleston, and Effingham, IL. He and his wife Leah have been married for 32 years and have two children, Jordan and Tatiana. Kevin is also a 1989 graduate of SLCC. In our conversation, Kevin shares several key insights for leadership and ministry, including: how to handle being an introvert in ministry, the importance of prayer, the impact that one person’s invitation can have, and much more.  To access the show notes for this episode, please visit https://stlchristian.edu/podcast011.

011: Kevin Colclasure, Lead Minister at Scott Avenue Christian Church (Newton, IL)

Today we're excited to bring you this conversation with Jesse Eubanks, who is the Founder & Executive Director of Love Thy Neighborhood, an organization that focuses on social justice internships and Christian community. Since SLCC is a college located in a large urban area, we were excited to feature Jesse as a Chapel speaker this Fall, as well as having him as a guest on today’s episode. In our conversation, Jesse talks about his background and the story behind Love Thy Neighborhood, how it impacts communities as well as students, and Jesse’s experience as the host of two successful podcasts. To access the show notes for this episode, please visit https://stlchristian.edu/podcast010.

010: Jesse Eubanks, Executive Director of Love Thy Neighborhood

We are excited to bring you this conversation with Jeff Fife, the President of this year’s International Conference on Missions, or ICOM for short. Jeff is the Executive Director of Brazil River of Life Ministries, and he and his family live in Sao Paulo, a city of over 20 million people. Jeff is married to Monica and they have two sons. In our conversation, Jeff expands on his work in Brazil, what it’s like to live in one of the world’s largest cities, and his work as the President of this year’s ICOM. Missions work has been one of the hallmarks of SLCC for many years, and we were excited to feature Jeff in one of our Chapel services this Fall, as well as this podcast episode. To access the show notes for this episode, please visit https://stlchristian.edu/podcast009.

009: Jeff Fife, President of the 2019 International Conference on Missions (ICOM)

We’re excited to bring you this conversation with Aric Marshall, who is the Professor of Worship Arts at St. Louis Christian College. Aric has a wide variety of experience in teaching and worship ministry, and we were excited to have him join our faculty in 2018. He is also an accomplished pianist, and plays a mean saxophone! In our conversation, Aric reflects on trends in worship today, how to improve your worship service, and some ways to measure success in worship. If you are a church musician, pastor, or artist, you will come away from this episode with lots of great information to chew on. To access the show notes for this episode, please visit https://stlchristian.edu/podcast008.

008: Aric Marshall, Professor of Worship Arts at SLCC

We are excited to bring you this conversation with Dr. Rich Knopp, Professor of Philosophy and Christian Apologetics at Lincoln Christian University in Lincoln, IL. Dr. Knopp is also the Coordinator for Room For Doubt, a grant-­funded program that seeks to create an atmosphere in which tough questions – even doubts – about the Christian faith can be openly expressed and discussed, without intimidation. In addition, Dr. Knopp is the Program Director for WorldViewEyes, a program that has received over $1 million in grant funds to challenge youth to understand and embrace a Christian worldview.  As a graduate of SLCC, Dr. Knopp is a long-time friend of the college. In this interview, we explore his influences and background, and how those connect to SLCC. You’ll hear an amazing story about a particular Chapel service he experienced as a student, and how it changed the course of his life. Dr. Knopp also goes into detail about the Room for Doubt project and its impact on those both inside and outside the Christian faith.  To access the show notes for this episode, please visit https://stlchristian.edu/podcast007.

007: Dr. Richard Knopp, Professor at Lincoln Christian University

Today I’m thrilled to bring you this conversation with Clint Evans. Clint is a 2015 Graduate of SLCC who went on to get a Master of Arts in Applied Behavior Analysis at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.  Clint is currently the Pastor at Sparta Christian Church in Sparta, Illinois. He also works as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in the Belleville, Illinois area. Clint married his wife, Julie, in 2016 and they enjoy serving the people of Sparta and sharing in ministry together. Clint and I had a conversation over Skype, and we explore a number of topics, including his early year as a Christian, his work as a Behavior Analyst and a pastor, and some of the lessons he is learning right now. To access the show notes for this episode, please visit https://stlchristian.edu/podcast006.

006: Clint Evans, Pastor & Behavior Analyst

We are thrilled to bring you this conversation with Terry Stine, the President of St. Louis Christian College. Terry came to SLCC in 2017 after serving as the President of Boise Bible College for ten years.  Before stepping into the role of President at Boise Bible College, he served as the Professor of Missions there for two years. Previous to his ministry at Boise, Terry was the Executive Director of Ninos de Mexico for twenty years, the Preaching Minister at First Christian Church in St. Peters, Missouri (now called Mid Rivers Christian Church), and held youth ministries in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Terry holds a Bachelor of Theology in Missions from Ozark Christian College, a Master of Arts in Preaching from Lincoln Christian University, and is in the process of PhD studies from Johnson University. He also serves on the Board of Directors for ABHE (Association for Biblical Higher Education). Terry and his wife, Carol, have four children and ten grandchildren. He enjoys golf, fishing, hunting, and collecting fountain pens.  As you can see, Terry is a busy leader! But I was grateful that he took a few minutes of his time to sit down for this interview. We met in the conference room near his office in the White House (yes, we have a building on campus called the White House, which is where the President and several others have offices).  One of the things you’ll hear in our conversation is Terry’s passion for higher education and for SLCC. I was also struck by his honesty about the challenges of higher education today. I know you’ll be blessed and challenged as Terry shares his story. In our conversation, we explore a number of topics, including Terry’s early years as a Christian, the challenges of higher education today, the impact of Ferguson on SLCC, and what advice Terry would give to his younger self. To access the show notes for this episode, please visit https://stlchristian.edu/podcast005.

005: Terry Stine, President of SLCC

We’re excited to bring you this conversation with Vincent Collins. Vince is the Pastor of the Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in East St Louis, Illinois, where he has served since 2005. His previous pastorate was at Friendly Baptist Church in St. Louis, where he served from 1992 to 2004.  Vincent graduated from SLCC in 2008 with a Bachelor’s degree in Education Ministry. He lives in Chesterfield, Missouri and has one daughter, Alexus Victoria. In our conversation, we explore a number of topics, including Vince’s early spiritual life and call to ministry, his advice for finding your direction in life, people who impacted his ministry, and some things he is learning as a leader. To access the show notes for this episode, please visit https://stlchristian.edu/podcast004.

004: Vincent Collins, Pastor

We’re excited to bring you this conversation with Dr. Ken Johnson. Ken is a true educator in every sense of the world. He received a Bachelor of Science in Education from Central Missouri State, a Master of Educational Administration from the University of Missouri in Columbia, and an Educational Specialist and Doctor of Education at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. Ken has been a teacher, basketball coach, Assistant Principal, and Principal for multiple school districts in Missouri. He was also a Professor of Education at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. Ken has been a long-time friend and supporter of SLCC. He previously served on our Presidential Transition Team, and is a current Trustee. In our conversation, we explore a number of topics, including the biggest challenges in Ken’s career as an educator and how he dealt with them, why a teacher should never have a bad day, how to effectively evaluate a team member, why his longest classroom lectures were only 15 minutes, and his work as a Trustee of St. Louis Christian College.   To access the show notes for this episode, please visit https://stlchristian.edu/podcast003.  

003: Dr. Ken Johnson, Educator & SLCC Trustee

Marcus Pearson is a 1989 graduate of SLCC. Upon graduation, he worked with Habitat for Humanity in Nicaragua. In the years since then he has gone on to lead a series of community development projects and church planting efforts there.  Marcus’ latest venture is the Harvest Development Group LLC, which was incorporated to catalyze sustainable local business launches.Marcus is married to Ann and they have two teenage children, William and Amelia. They live in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. In our conversation, we explore a variety of topics, including Marcus’ story of becoming a missionary in Nicaragua, some of the challenges of ministry there and how he has dealt with them, and what is learning now. To access the show notes, please visit https://stlchristian.edu/podcast.  

001: Marcus Pearson, Missionary to Nicaragua

The Called to Serve Podcast explores the stories of leaders who have made a difference by answering God’s call to serve. Through conversations with mission-driven leaders, you’ll discover how they discovered their calling, overcame challenges and obstacles, and what they learned along the way. Called to Serve is a production of St. Louis Christian (Florissant, MO). Our mission is to develop biblical servant leaders for urban, suburban, rural, and global ministry. Please visit us on the web at STLChristian.edu, where you’ll find all kinds of great information about our scholarship, degree programs, and upcoming events.