Joe Stanley is a proud Texan from San Antonio. He has 25 years of experience in small church pastoral ministry. He has a degree in Christian Education, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies, a Master of Divinity and is currently working on his Doctor of Ministry. He and his wife Glenda have 2 children and 1 grandchild.
“After God confirmed my calling to ministry in various ways I decided to surrender to God’s will and enter the ministry… Little did I know that I would not stop at just a Bachelor’s degree, but I would also earn two Master’s degrees and I am now working to complete a Doctor of Ministry.”
Who am I and how did God lead me here?
My parents are both from Kentucky and they made their way to Louisville Kentucky during WW2 to look for work since there were a lot of jobs available there. They later met, got married and had two sons. I grew up in the Louisville area, and since my parents were serious about their Christianity I also grew up in church.
Even though I grew up in church, I never accepted Jesus into my life while I was still at home. When I was 17 I joined the Air Force because I was hoping to avoid the infantry and service in Vietnam. While in the Air Force I was stationed in San Antonio and met a local girl at church the night that I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I now consider San Antonio as home and I have now been married over 40 years.
I felt the call of God on my life to enter the ministry after I was married with two small children. Since I feel strongly that ministers should be called of God I spent much time in prayer and seeking God to confirm this calling.
After God confirmed my calling to ministry in various ways I decided to surrender to God’s will and enter the ministry. Since I knew that I needed training and education to be effective in ministry I decided to go to school and earn a degree. Little did I know that I would not stop at just a Bachelor’s degree, but I would also earn two Master’s degrees and I am now working to complete a Doctor of Ministry.
While going to school and raising a family I worked in small church ministry as a bi-vocational pastor. I have about 25 years of small church ministry.
What is my role within the College of Theology?
I am one of the online full-time faculty in the College of Theology. The courses that I teach are Christian Worldview, New Testament Historical Perspectives and Spirituality in Health Care.
What advice do I have for my theology students?
I would remind them that everyone deals with theology since theology is the study of God’s Word. The only question is how well do you handle theology? I would also remind them of what the Apostle Paul told Timothy. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, ESV),
