Since my conversion to Christ, I’ve had an insatiable appetite for studying Scripture. After years of living like the prodigal son, I was saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone. I pulled an old Bible from my closet the following day and never put it down. Soon after, I started a weekly Bible study group in the community, which caught the attention of my pastor. Before I knew it, I was ordained for pastoral ministry. I served as an interim pastor for two years, lead pastor for seven, and a church planter for another three.
Today, I have a rare and seemingly strange role as a full-time funeral home chaplain. When families do not belong to a church or personally know a pastor to call, I officiate their loved one’s funeral and offer counseling as needed. If you’re curious how one becomes a funeral home chaplain, especially with a full-time position, the short answer is God’s providence. If you’re like most people and want to know how someone survives working around death day after day, I’ll let Solomon answer for me. He said, “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart” (Ecc 7:2).
Thankfully, I still have frequent opportunities to preach and teach outside the funeral home. My family and I belong to Grace Fellowship Church in Bremen, Indiana, where I often lead our adult Sunday school. I’m also involved in two nursing home ministries. As much as I enjoy my labors in the house of mourning, I relish the times I can preach the word without a casket by my side and grieving family in the front row (Ecc 7:2; 2Ti 4:2).
I’m also a confessional Reformed Baptist.
In short, I’m a disciple of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, a Reformed Baptist, a Bible teacher, a funeral home chaplain, a husband, a father, and the author and host of On Life & Scripture (Tit 2:13).
In short, I’m a disciple of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, a Reformed Baptist, a Bible teacher, a funeral home chaplain, a husband, a father, and the author and host of On Life & Scripture (Tit 2:13).
