Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Howard.
Hi Jonathan, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I spent the bulk of my childhood years in the state of Georgia. I studied two years at Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, GA. In 2003, I transferred to the University of Oklahoma where I graduated in 2006 with a B.A. in Communication and a Minor in History.
I married my wife Mandie on July 14, 2007. A week later we moved to Lakeland, FL for her job. Almost two years later, she was transferred to Macon, Ga.
In the fall of 2009, I began serving as the team chaplain for the Mercer University Men’s basketball team. Being a part of a division one basketball team was the realization of a childhood dream. My role as chaplain was the intersection of two passions; basketball and ministry. While serving as team chaplain, I was studying for my Masters of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I would attend classes all day on Mondays and then be with the team the rest of the week.
After two years as a volunteer, I was hired as the Director of Basketball Operations for Mercer University; a position I held for six seasons. As the “ops guy” I was in charge of administrative duties for the program including: travel, meals, practice schedule, communicating with boosters, and community outreach. Being on staff was a huge blessing because my job put me in direct connection with the very people I was trying to minister to on a regular basis. After eight great seasons with the Bears, I took a step of faith and left Mercer without another job lined up. I felt like God was asking me to step out of Mercer and into Him. It was a move that made people nervous on my behalf, but a move that God showed Himself to be faithful and trustworthy in and throughout the process.
Then, unemployed, I continued working on the publication of my first book, “Living Mirrors: Our Life’s Reflection of Jesus Through Sports Chaplaincy. “Living Mirrors” launched in March of 2018. Not long after the launch, I developed a workshop that provided an informal atmosphere where I could train people how to invest in the lives of others through the avenue of sports. As I began to conduct more and more workshops across the eastern half of the United States, God provided my next job.
In October of 2018, I became the Children’s Pastor at Glennville First Baptist Church, in Glennville, Ga. I served on staff at this church for two years. While in Glennville, I wrote my second book, “Stepping Into Next: Punching Your Ticket Into God’s Adventure For You.” This book turned one on October 13, 2021.
In the first few months of 2020, I began to feel a stirring in my spirit to plant a church. In May, I felt confident God wanted me to pursue planting a church. As my wife and I prayed through what city we should plant in, we both felt God leading us to Cincinnati. I had only been to Cincinnati one time, to see a Reds game, but I was the veteran in our family, because my wife had never been to the Queen City. Through continued prayer, we felt compelled to move to Cincinnati to plant a church.
We arrived in Cincinnati on January 1, 2021. Many people asked us why Southwest Ohio? And we always say because “we believe the people are worth it!”
We are currently serving as “Church planter in residency” at Grace Point Fellowship in Franklin, OH. This year-long residency has allowed us time to discover our planting community while being in Cincinnati, rather than trying to figure it out through a computer screen. In addition, belonging to Grace Point Fellowship as a resident has given me the opportunity to learn about the process of church planting from people who have done it.
In May, we decided Anderson Township would be our planting location. We are excited to invest in the people and community of Anderson through planting Bridge City Church in 2022.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
My journey has had ups and down just like everyone else. In fact, many times it is the valleys that help us appreciate not only the mountain-tops, but the journey itself. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have never felt abandoned by God along the way.
As I think about my journey, there are a few moments of struggle that stick out to me.
First, It was a struggle to leave my position at Mercer University. College athletics is a transient profession. It is not uncommon for people to come and go within an athletic department. People were not surprised to hear of my upcoming departure, but many were surprised to hear that I didn’t have another job lined up. It was a test of my faith to experience people’s responses and have the confidence to continue stepping. Many folks would say “wow,” and “are you sure that is wise?” I could almost feel the discomfort people were feeling on my behalf as I shared my uncertain journey. Looking back, it is clear that I made the right decision and God was faithful to provide for my family along the way…right on time.
Second, There were numerous challenges to developing and launching the Living Mirrors workshop. After the launch of the book, I kept having a similar conversation with people who read the book. They were talking about how they had never thought of using sports to connect with people for the purpose of investing in the lives of others. These conversations led to the development of the workshop. Being an unknown author was an obstacle to launching the workshop. I had to scratch and claw for every opportunity. I made so many introductory phone calls and sent hundreds of emails trying to scratch out an opportunity. I had to create my own momentum. The start was slow and it was a challenge to stay the course. The first three workshops I conducted had an attendance of five, three, and zero people. It would have been easy to quit at that juncture, believing the workshop was not valuable. Instead, I continued to pursue the dream and eventually saw the size of the crowds grow and the number of opportunities increase.
The speaking gigs were increasing to the point where I thought traveling the country, conducting workshops might be my next full-time job. It was at this moment that I was approached by Glennville First Baptist Church to be their Children’s Pastor. It was a challenge to accept this position. Honestly, being a children’s pastor was nowhere to be found on my totem pole of ministry opportunities. I pledged to pray about the opportunity and get back with the church within a two-week time-frame. During those two weeks, God made it abundantly clear that I was supposed to take the position.
To me, one of the coolest parts of my time as Children’s Pastor is how God used it to prepare me for my next step. As I was going through the assessment process to be a church-planter with the SEND Network, there were three separate times, with three separate people who identified my time as a children’s pastor as the reason why they believed I would be a successful church planter. How amazing that the position (Children’s pastor) I would never have picked for myself ended up being the piece of my story that green-lighted me toward planting a church in Cincinnati.
The truth is, God doesn’t waste any of our experiences. He is utilizing what we’re walking through today to prepare us for what He wants us to walk through tomorrow.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a pastor who seeks to help the world know the love of Jesus. My adventure with God currently has me stationed in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I am planting Bridge City Church. As a pastor, I seek to invest in my community through service, enthusiasm, and helping people feel at home. Our first act of service in Anderson Township has been painting fire hydrants. City officials put out a call for help in painting the almost 3,000 hydrants in Anderson. It has been a lot of fun to help meet this need. Our goal is to do at least 97 hydrants. So far, we have painted 29. I am looking forward to number 30 because that will mean Bridge City Church has accounted for 1% of all the fire hydrants in Anderson. Not only has it been fun to serve our community in this way, but I believe bringing these hydrants back to life with a fresh coat of paint is a picture of the work God desires to do in the lives of people through our church. As we go through life, we get weathered, we incur damage and rust…It is God’s desire to restore people to their original design through a relationship with Him.
I am proud to be an author of two books: “Living Mirrors” and “Stepping into Next.” These books have created numerous speaking opportunities in a variety of contexts, including: athletic teams, college chapel services, Government officials, and churches. In addition to writing books, I publish a weekly Living Mirrors blogpost on jonathanmhoward.com. This weekly post is inspirational in nature and seeks to help us consider ways to reflect Jesus in all aspects of our lives.
My uniqueness comes from previous experiences. My time in college athletics has been beneficial as I seek to impact my community as a pastor. I got to experience a lot of great things and learn a myriad of valuable lessons while at Mercer that I can implement as a church-planter and author. These different experiences have broadened my perspective and allows me to interact with people from a place of better understanding.
What makes you happy?
There are many things that make me happy. My family makes me happy.
Accomplishing tasks make me happy.
Sports make me happy.
Creating art like paintings and books makes me happy.
The beach makes me happy.
An ice cold coca-cola makes me happy.
I am grateful to also have access to joy. Happiness tends to be present when my circumstances are good. Joy can be present regardless of circumstances. So, even when I have experienced various challenges and obstacles, I can still be joyful. Joy helps us have a broader perspective on our current situation. With joy, we are able to see the blessing in the midst of the trial.
Contact Info:
- Email: jonathanhoward300@gmail.com
- Website: jonathanmhoward.com
- Other: http://bit.ly/steppingintoNEXT | bit.ly/LivingMirrors
