New minister at Nashville United Church of Christ
Like many young boys, when Brad Dodson was a kid he had a nickname. Unfortunately, he hated his nickname and hoped to never fulfill the destiny that accompanied it.“I was involved in church a lot as a kid and so I was labeled Preacher Boy Dodson, which I hated,” he shared. “I decided then there was no way that I would ever be a minister…of course, 15 years later, here I am, and I’m proud to look back and see how God has moved in my life to bring me to this point.”
Dodson was raised in a Christian home and was given excellent role models to follow by his parents.
“My dad was part of the church leadership and my mom always helped out and volunteered anywhere she was needed,” he said. “I learned a lot by their examples.”
Prior to coming to Nashville, Dodson served as an associate pastor in Somerset, Pa. He has also been involved in worship ministry, family ministry, mission teams and small group ministries.
“I actually grew up in Stoneboro, Pa. and went to Lakeview High School,” he shared. “I graduated with a BA in preaching/youth ministry and Bible. I am also currently taking master’s courses at Kentucky Christian University. One thing that drew us to Nashville United Church of Christ was the freshness of seeing youth and children filling the classrooms and halls. That was exciting.”
Dodson said that since the church has a full-time youth minister it is able to offer youth programming for all ages, which is a great plus for any church.
“There are numerous ways to get involved at Nashville Church of Christ,” he said. “Whether in our worship band or sewing group or mission trips and Relay for Life there really is some place of ministry for everyone.”
Pastor Dodson’s wife, Laurie, has experience in the ministry as well and in the past served one church as children’s director for three years. The two were married last year and are excited to be expecting their first child on August 19.
“Laurie has a heart for ministry and joining me in serving the church and community,” Dodson shared. “She is a great blessing in my life.”
“It is my heartfelt desire to fall more in love with my Savior every single day,” Laurie added. “Christ has blessed me with more than I can ever imagine or deserve and He has gifted me with a sincere heart for people. I find it pure joy to use my life, in every way possible, to bring glory to His name and to further His kingdom. As Brad and I enter this new chapter of life together, I’m so excited to see how God will use us here at Nashville.”
When it comes to the future of Nashville United Church of Christ, Pastor Dodson has a vision and hopes to be the church that connects others with Christ.
“My goal is that we can love Christ and love others,” he said. “I see a dying world and a younger generation calling for an authentic faith to live and die for. I believe it is our role as a church to provide the opportunity for people to be connected with Christ and one another. This church has a strong heritage of growing in Christ and we want others to experience truth like they have never imagined. It is my desire to grow with this church as we explore scripture to see what God is calling us to do. It is also my desire to see our members sharing their faith through their work, recreation, and families. To put it simply....Live for Christ! This is our calling as a family of believers.”
Dodson believes that one of the biggest challenges facing churches today is simply, “admitting they don’t have it all together.
“It is hard for any person to admit that they have made mistakes or neglected responsibility,” he explained. “This makes it even harder for the church, because we are to be the rock that will not shake. As any church is growing in its understanding of scripture they need to ask themselves as a church why they do what they do. Every church needs to examine this. The idea is that we need to repent for years of rejecting people and having apathy toward our faith and we need to hold people accountable to truth and challenge them to a greater calling.”
The Dodsons extend a warm welcome to anyone in the area that would like to visit Nashville Church of Christ. The church offers a traditional service at 8:30 a.m., followed by Sunday school hour at 9:30 and a contemporary service at 10:30. To learn more about the church, visit www.nash villecofc.org. For information about the Dodsons, visit http://www.bdodministries.com.