In the deepest annals of church history, there is hardly a more celebrated figure than the fourth century Archbishop John Chrysostom. The Greek word Chrysostomos for which he became known means “golden-mouthed,” a reference to his superb preaching and eloquent public speaking. It should come as no surprise that Chrysostom is a personal favorite of Dr. Todd Brady, Union’s vice president for university ministries who has taught a class on biblical preaching for 17 years.
If you’ve ever heard Brady preach, then you already understand why many aspiring ministers and pastors desire to take his classes. He exemplifies a delicate balance of quiet intensity and personality with intellectual, exegetical thought both in the classroom and at the pulpit. To be sure, he could very easily pastor a church, like he has in the past, if he so desired.
“I learned the importance of staying true to the text, speaking on the authority that God already spoke, and being faithful to exposit God’s word with care,” said Alex Williams, a senior ministry and missions major. “Dr. Brady has truly influenced my preaching style and how I communicate God’s word to others.”
But there is far more to the pastoral role than just preaching. Brady also exudes a warm, personable nature that is very much befitting of a pastor. In the time that we sit together in the Coburn dining hall, he takes the time to greet and engage with two different people: a member of cafeteria staff who just suffered a death in his family and a woman from a local church in Memphis. In both encounters, he demonstrates a genuine love and care for other people–a love and care needed in many churches.
However, Brady is reminded every day why he came–and then eventually returned after a four-year absence–to Union. He loves college students and the opportunity that he has to pour into them.
“I came to work at Union back in 1996 in basically the same role that Joe Ball (the director for discipleship and ministry) has now, and I stayed until 2007 when I left to become the pastor at First Baptist Church of Paducah in Kentucky,” says Brady. “I came back to Union in 2011 in the role that I have now.”
“So what brought you back after those four years in Paducah?” I ask curiously.
Brady smiles. There is a warmth, a joy even, in his eyes. “I just have a love for college students, and I’ve found such incredible fulfillment in pouring into their lives.”
Brady has certainly been around enough to know where his exact calling in ministry is. He served as an associate pastor at a church in Oklahoma while he went to Southwestern Seminary. After graduating from Southwestern, he served as the head pastor of a church in South Carolina. He would then serve as a pastor in Paducah after 11 years at Union.
But in his own words, Brady simply could not stay away from the college environment.
“No matter where I’ve been in my life, I’ve always found myself gravitating toward college students,” he says with a hearty laugh.
Yet Brady wants to set the record straight about one fact in particular: He did not give up being a pastor to become a professor. You can place a pastor in a different context than before, but a pastor is still a pastor at heart.
“Let me tell you something,” says Brady in an almost conspiratorial tone. “Many professors at a place like Union would almost always want to be a pastor first. But those people, including myself, have a strong sense of calling to a place like Union–that’s why we’re here. But that doesn’t mean that we give up being pastors by being professors. I just approach my job as a professor pastorally.” He stops to grin at me. “It’s so fulfilling.”
To a pastor like Brady, the classroom is just as great of an opportunity for ministry as the pulpit is. His pastoral heart longs to see young people grow in their faith and in their walks with the Lord. And he sometimes gets to see some glimpses of the fruit of his labor.
“So many people in a place like this are in different places spiritually, and I can help them in their journeys.” He smiles and shakes his head. “And it’s not just pastors and missionaries. Many of my students go on to become football coaches, teachers and nurses. And to see them step into those places and be the salt and light–it’s so fulfilling to think I had a little bit to do with that.”
Brady recounts one instance this past weekend in which he experienced such gratification for his time spent with college students. He, among others, commissioned David Caruthers, a former Union student of Brady’s that also worked for him at First Baptist, to go to France to do mission work. And that is perhaps what excites him the most; he gets to see how his former students impact the world for the gospel internationally.
“It is so incredibly exciting for me to see students that I’ve had in my classes now serving in international contexts and students who are now serving as pastors in foreign countries.” Brady shakes his head. “To think that I might have had a little impact in helping these people go to the nations as Christ called us to do is extremely humbling.”
But throughout all the years as students come and go, Brady has found that his heart remains with Union. For all of his skill in preaching and his many past pastoral roles and other ministries, he knows that this is where God wants him to serve. That’s not to say that he will be at Union forever; the Lord can always call one of his servants to a new destination. But even if that day never comes, Brady will continue to exemplify his advice that he gives me and other aspiring pastors.
“Commit yourself to preaching the word, loving people and planting roots where you are. Realize that God has you where He wants you to be. So be there.”
Photo courtesy of Sarah Palmer Goff
