I sensed God’s call to salvation at the age of thirteen and sensed His call to ministry at sixteen while part of my home church, Jackson Creek Baptist in Columbia.
I followed God’s call to prepare for ministry at North Greenville University and received the greatest blessing of my life there by meeting my wife, Rhonda. We married shortly after college graduation and began our service in ministry together.
We have served four churches in various roles including Minister of Youth & Education, Senior Pastor, various pulpit supply opportunities to include two interims, and my present role as bi-vocational pastor of Eau Claire.
By Steven Bouknight
Pastor, Eau Claire Baptist Church, Columbia
CBFSC Scholarship Recipient
Shortly after beginning my present ministry at Eau Claire in 2016, I decided to pursue additional studies through a doctorate of ministry program. As a bi-vocational pastor, I needed a program that was conducive to family life, work schedule, and life in the ministry.
I was so glad to learn of the convenient seminar schedules offered by the School of Divinity at Gardner-Webb University and happy to hear of the school’s relationship with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Best of all, I could attend seminars by commuting to campus and return home in the evenings to be with my family.
I sensed a welcoming spirit by both the faculty of Gardner Webb and the peers in my cohort. I have immensely enjoyed the opportunity to study under such great professors. One of my greatest learning experiences came from a study tour of Israel in May of 2019. I was undecided about attending this study tour and almost decided to “wait until next year.” I am so thankful I did not wait for another opportunity as tours for 2020 and 2021 were both cancelled due to COVID impacts.
While COVID has negatively affected so much, the circumstances of lockdowns and work from home have given me time to work toward the completion of my degree, which I hope to complete by the end of this year.
I am in the project development phase of my doctoral project entitled Collaborative Parenting: Mentoring Your Child While Being Mentored by God. I look forward to implementing this project among the families of my church and within the Eau Claire Community.
The entire learning experience of the D. Min. program has strengthened my own walk with the Lord in many ways, strengthened my home life helping me to be a better husband and father, and better equipped me for ministry in the local church.
Thank you to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of South Carolina for helping to make this part of my journey possible and I look forward to many more years of continued service in ministry and in partnership with CBF of SC.