As a very Young person I began to feel strongly that if God could send Jesus to die for me, that I could’t do any less than serve him with my whole life. As I attended my very first Michigan State Youth Convention of the Church of God in MI, and heard the preaching of the late Pastor Benjamin F. Reid, I made a confident and deliberate decision to give my life to ministry.
To that end, I attended Warner Southern College, and graduated with a degree in Pastoral studies, with a minor in Biblical Studies. Since then I have served churches in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan.
Preaching/Teaching is my first love and passion, and having sat through thousands of sermons over my lifetime, I have developed a passion to try and make my sermons INTERESTING! It always frustrated me as a kid when the pastor was speaking many eloquent words, but without any practical application or explanation. The Bible has a wealth of wisdom to share that is unparalleled but if we do not understand it, it is all worthless. I believe it is my responsibility to make my sermons as informative, practical, and interesting as I can, so that people enjoy the process of hearing from God’s word.
I have been privileged to have the opportunity to not only preach, but also lead worship at the several of the churches I have served. Music has always been a huge part of my life (and you should hear my kids sing…wow:) No bias there) and is now a big part of my ministry. I believe that Music in the congregational setting should be a corporate experience, and love to hear the people raise their voices and sing with all of their might. I believe that the primary job of a worship leader is to lead the people to sing, not to put on a concert. We always endeavor to do music that is singable for the average person, as long as they are willing to put forth the effort to learn it. Music is also how I best connect with God, whether in corporate worship, or off by myself.
Ministry is a rich, fulfilling, frustrating, energizing, wonderful, horrible, and awesome experience. There is never a dull moment when you are following God. It is the Great adventure that Steven Curtis Chapman sings about, and as long as God provides the opportunity, I will follow.
Sermons From Pastor Jeff in Podcast form:
Messages from Pastor Jeff Eckman and others that call the North Avenue Church in Battle Creek Michigan their home. Visit www.northavenuechurch.com for more information.
Join us for this series on Psalm 107 called “A Psalm of Thanksgiving”. The Psalmist shares four challenges from Israel’s history that made it necessary for the people to seek God’s help, and then reminds us that we should give Thanks and Praise to God when we see Him at work in our lives.