Meet Rev. Ed Eubanks (MDiv '05)

Ed Eubanks (MDiv ’05) serves as the pastor of Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church, in Hickory Withe, TN. He and wife Marcie are parents to Jack (6), Molly (5), and twins Abbey and Caroline (10 months). In addition to his work in the church, Ed and several colleagues recently started Doulos Resources as an effort to provide support and resources to pastors, church leaders, and other Christians.

Ed, can you give us a brief sketch of the various places you have served since seminary?

I taught at a small Christian school in St. Louis throughout seminary, and remained there for a while. Since late summer/early fall 2007, I have served as senior pastor at Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church in Hickory Withe (Eads), Tennessee.

What has been one of the greatest lessons you have learned since graduation?

The Lord continues to teach me humility and reveal my desperate need for his grace. Those aren't lessons I've yet learned (because God teaches them to me in new ways each day), but are some of the greatest lessons I'm learning.

Thinking back to seminary—were there certain faculty or fellow students who were key in your spiritual development during those years?

So many! My friendships with Drs. Phil Douglass and Donald Guthrie were huge throughout seminary. Dr. Zack Eswine was a key part of my spiritual development in my early years of seminary, and Prof. Jerram Barrs and Dr. Dan Zink became significant people to me in the later years. I remain in contact with all of them, though I keep in touch with Phil Douglass and Dan Zink the most, and they remain important influences in my life. I'm also regularly in touch with a handful of fellow students who are a crucial part of my spiritual survival-- those friendships I made during seminary will last the rest of my life and into eternity.

What is a topic you wish you would have paid more attention to while in seminary?

As I look back, my time in Old Testament classes seems more distant and unfamiliar to me; I don't think I learned Hebrew as well as I did Greek, and I don't think I was as attentive in my Old Testament exegetical classes as I was in the New Testament ones. Overall, I wish I knew my Bible better than I do, but I guess all of us do.

Thinking about students entering ministry today—do you have any advice for young men and women training for vocational ministry in the local church?

Three things:

1. Focus more on the Bible and the foundations of theology; focus less on the popular issues of the day.
2. While in seminary, gain as much experience with hands-on ministry as you possibly can. Relentlessly pursue opportunities to gain experience, especially in areas where you haven't had much exposure.
3. Keep your focus on the goal as much as the means--prepare for your transition into ministry before your last few months, or you won't have a transition to make!