Jared Thomas

By the providence of God, I was raised in a family that consistently attended and served at church. My parents actively taught me about God and allowed me to ask questions as my understanding of God increased.

There has never been a time in my life when the church has not played a role in my life. I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church, went to an SBC college, and received my Graduate and Doctorate Degrees from an SBC seminary. As would be assumed the church has been vital in my life.

My life was saturated with the gospel. God's providence placed countless adults in my life that sought to present the gospel to me from an early age. With this being said, the first experience I recall where I clearly, both emotionally and rationally, came to realize that I was a sinner with no hope, outside of God's grace was when I was 11 years old. In true 90s church culture fashion, this happened during an invitation after a heaven or hell play. My parents and several close family friends were there to verify the confession I made and soon after I was publicly baptized at my home church.

My family and I were attending and serving at The Church at Cherrydale when Robert McKinney and Ted Richard were in the early phases of starting a plant in the Blue Ridge area. While I was working at North Greenville University (NGU) and our family living in Tigerville, we felt like we would be positioned well to support the planting efforts. We chose to join the planting group for The Church at Blue Ridge. This was the first time that Lindsay and I had been part of a church plant. Through this experience, we have seen God's sovereignty, providence, and grace throughout.

I now have the great honor of being an elder at CFNW. God has indeed grown my family and me at CFNW. We are now very excited to share the responsibility of shepherding the wonderful family we call Christ Fellowship!