S02E05 | Caleb Farmer & Tim Johns
July 12, 2022
Alumnus Caleb Farmer adds his perspective of ministry in this episode. Since completing his MA, he has served as an assistant pastor at Temple Baptist Church of Richland, Washington. He compares pastoral aspects of dorm student leadership with pastoring and explains how COVID, which struck two years into his pastorate, impacted ministry. Required to have community involvement, Caleb joined a local dive rescue team, which expanded his outreach opportunities and later led to serving as chaplain for his team and for the fire and police departments. He explains the purpose of chaplaincy, the needs of first responders, and how a chaplain’s mere presence helps.
Our second guest, Tim Johns, also shares dorm student leadership experience, having served as a dormitory supervisor and then as Dean of Men for nearly twenty years combined. Now transitioning into full-time teaching, he and host Dr. Matt Davis observe how the dorm supervisor role has changed from a rule-enforcing position into a platform to “come alongside” students who need help. They define counseling, distinguish it from discipleship, and note the aspect of discipline, without which there is no discipleship. Candidly they acknowledge that Maranatha standards are not a “sin code” but are intended to orient students toward good choices to create an environment of respect and mutual support.
