About Us...Leadership
Rev. T. Wyatt Watkins, Minister of Worship and Outreach
 “The
Christian faith is not a destination but a great, unfolding journey, one
I have long traveled among people of faith. Since infancy I have viewed
my life through the lens of God's grace, disclosed through loving
parents, the church family of my youth, and later the many parishioners
under my care. Through three pastorates spanning twenty years, I remain
passionate about both gospel and church. With roots and experiences
across several denominations, I am and remain a Baptist by both
conviction and temperament, embracing its historic insistence upon
individual and congregational freedom, but also its tolerance toward
differing experiences and understandings.
A
strong Renaissance spirit is embedded in my life and approach to
ministry. As perhaps never before, pastoral ministry requires a
thoughtful, broad-minded encounter with the culture, with what people
are thinking and experiencing. The church's habit of slow reaction to
change has often rendered its voice irrelevant. Our shared challenge is
to stay abreast of the cultural climate in order to both understand and
shape the habits of thought and practice around us. As followers of
Jesus, we cast a vision of the gracious reign of God in light of which
others might interpret their lives and commitments. We accomplish this
in the church not only through spirited worship of excellence, relevant
and thought-provoking faith formation and bold and generous mission, but
also through a prophetic, sometimes militant, pursuit of peace and
justice at home and around the globe.
I
bring an intentional but collegial approach to pastoral leadership.
Thoughtful, timely and creative worship engaging heart, mind and spirit
is a deep commitment of mine. Lively, relevant, biblically-rooted
preaching that invites inquiry is for me a chief commitment of pastoral
ministry.
The author of several books, I relish communicating equally by pen and
pulpit. As a professional musician and violinist, currently with the
Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, I champion the power of nonverbal
expressions of the faith to inspire hearts and minds. I delight in my
family: wife, Donna, a neonatal nurse practitioner, and our four
school-aged children. Travel, hiking and biking, and reading together
are prized activities of our family.
Faith is a never-ending journey. The call to minister with a church of
ministers is for me the great adventure of faith, as together we make
common the life-affirming gospel of Jesus Christ for the sake of the
whole creation. I welcome the privilege of greeting others into the life
of Jesus, and of sharing the responsibility and joy of following in his
way!
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