Rev. Jon Herrin's Autobiography
"I'm a Christian, and son of Christians; I'm a minister, and the son of a minister; I've been a missionary, and I'm the son of missionaries. There has never been a time in my life that I did not know about Jesus, but there have been those very important, very specific times that I have taken steps closer to Him--when I gave my life to Him as a Christian, when I was baptized into the Church, when I came to understand what it meant to be His disciple, when I heard God's call on my life to follow in the life of ministry, when my wife and I together understood His call to us to follow Him into mission. Jesus Christ and His Church have been and will be the center of my life.
My wife, Lia, and I entered pastoral ministry in 1993 in Georgia-first as 'part-time local pastor' while I was working as a college professor, and then as 'student local pastor' while in seminary. After seminary and ministerial probation, I was ordained an 'Elder in Full Connection' in 2005 in the North Georgia Conference of the UMC. In all, we have served six (6) congregations in two states during 20 years of ministry.
Several years of ministry were served in missions. In Venezuela, my wife and I helped in establishing the UMC of Venezuela (Iglesia Metodista Unida de Venezuela) and el Seminario Wesleyano de Venezuela (2005-2008). In Mexico, I served El Seminario Metodista Juan Wesley as a professor of theology and Biblical studies and Academic Dean (2008-2011). In June 2011, we moved to McAllen, Texas, for family reasons. I now work at South Texas College as a part of the administrative staff.
My approach to pastoral ministry:
Two passages of Scripture have guided my ministry from the very beginning-Ephesians 4:11-13 and Matthew 28:19-20
"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Phase I: Unity...getting to know the parish and the parishioners; meet with and get to know the committees of the church; undergird the continuity of present ministries; emphasis on worship and preaching...(This phase really never ends.)
Phase II: Outreach...explore the possibilities and needs...age specific (youth, young adult, parents, older adults), community needs/opportunities, mission possibilities (direct outreach/mission hosts)...determine how best our congregation can share the Good News of God...
We come to be with you, to know you, and to serve with you; Christ's Church exists to be in the world, to make Him known, and to serve others. We look forward to the journey of faith that God has for us as we walk forward together.