Conversations with Todd Coble

Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Coble.

Hi Todd, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in a rural part of North Carolina east of Charlotte in a blue collar family. I was truly a child of the ’80s and of the South. Pop/rock music, long afternoons with friends, and hot summer nights with no air conditioning defined my adolescent and teenage years. I was blessed to come of age in the idyllic American home and community with a mom and dad who loved me and a brother who was my constant companion and playmate. My maternal grandparents were just down the road from our home, so I knew them well and spent much time with them over the years. Even now, when I venture home for visits I can still spend time with my grandfather who is now 92 and lives in the same house he lived in when I was a child. This is also the place where I met my wife. We first met when we were 4 years old at summer Vacation Bible School–another fixture of life in the Bible Belt–and something that helped form my faith. My connection to that part of the world is grounded with deep roots, and I will always be grateful for that place and the people who made it home for me.

I went college to be an engineer and worked in various companies associated with manufacturing/fabrication and product design. At the same time I was growing in my faith and learning to lead in our local church. Eventually, I felt the call to serve God and others in full-time ministry. I went to Seminary in Texas and eventually was led here to Georgia. This place has been “home” now for nearly 17 years, and my wife and two children love this area and the opportunities here.

Our church family and the new friends we’ve made over the years deserve a great deal of credit for their support of us and our ministry. We couldn’t do what we do without them!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have certainly been challenges along the way. But, I really cannot complain. I have always enjoyed relatively good health. I married the love of my life and have two wonderful children. I have a fantastic church family/community that supports me and my family. I see so many who have had to walk a much harder road filled with heartbreak and suffering that I have not had to endure. I don’t know why God has, thus far, seen fit to spare me from greater struggles. I am grateful for His blessings in this way, and I try my best to encourage those who are struggling with hard things to have faith despite the challenges, and allow God to turn them into something beautiful (Isaiah 61:3).

At the same time, full time ministry in a small church setting has brought financial struggles and lots of personal loss. In small churches people are much more intimately acquainted with one another. On the whole, this provides for deeper, more lasting relationships, which is a great advantage for smaller ministries. But when someone you’ve known and invested yourself and your teaching into grows distant, or becomes offended by you in some way, it also hurts more deeply. I’m learning to trust God to use these hurts to soften me and allow me to be more relatable and caring.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My mission as a minister is to tell the greatest story ever told: the gospel of Jesus Christ. This story, His story, is the story of our origin, our fall, and our redemption. Love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace are all embodied in Christ. With those, He grants to us purpose and meaning. Telling this story in a compelling way that meets the needs of the hurting, the needy, the self-reliant, and the indifferent is the great task to which I have devoted my life. More than anything I want people to know there is no greater joy or hope to be found than that which is found in Jesus Christ!

I am probably most known for expository preaching. This is a method of preaching, not a style. Style is based on personality, preferences, and proclivities. Each minister is uniquely gifted in those areas to effectively communicate the gospel. Expositional preaching, however, is a commitment to analyzing the text of Scripture (the Holy Bible) in a detailed and contextual way to bring out the meaning God and the original author intended. I believe God’s truth is timeless and that He speaks to us from across the ages through the Bible. Some have referred to the Bible as God’s love letter for mankind. My passion is studying this great letter to understand it’s truths, and to properly apply them to my own heart, today’s world, and other people’s lives with the purpose of leading each of us to the person of Jesus.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Ministry is hard. Especially if you are trying to begin a new work or church. The previous generation of ministers was fond of saying to aspiring ministers, “if you can do anything else, do it.” While that may sound crass, there is much wisdom in this.

First, the personal challenges of being misunderstood and watching your ministry/church struggle to grow and even shrink despite your prayers and best efforts can be extremely discouraging. Many ministers leave the pastorate, and ministry altogether, after only a few years. Leading a church is slow and difficult work, sometimes with few affirmations or successes.

Second, to those aspiring to vocational ministry, especially leading a church, make sure God has called you specifically to this. Spend ample time reviewing the character qualifications for ministers in the Bible (1 Timothy 3 & Titus 1). Be honest about whether or not you are qualified and are committed to remaining so. Many ministers have suffered public falls and disgraced Christ and the church because they did not consider this. There are many excellent ways to support the church and spread the gospel as a faithful lay person. Perhaps God is actually calling you to this kind of ministry? Perhaps your skills or resources are better used to support the church and its ministry/ministers? Not everyone is called to be “up front.” Sometimes the behind the scenes leaders are far more significant.

Also, you must not compare your ministry, your church, your situation to any one else’s. God called you to serve where He has placed you and you must trust He knows better than you. The only way to persevere in times of discouragement and doubt is to cling to God’s call on your life and rest in His sovereign will for you.

Pricing:

• Free! The Gospel is free to all!
• “…the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.” (Rom. 5:15 NKJ)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://covbc.org
• Youtube: @pastortodd8062