OUR PEOPLE

Daniel Patterson

Executive Pastor

For some people, a call to ministry comes well into adulthood. For Dr. Daniel Patterson, however, that call came early. “I came to trust Christ at Vacation Bible School the summer before fifth grade. I remember that day not just because of the way the gospel struck me in a different way then, but because I felt the weightiness of what this faithful pastor was doing and felt drawn not just to Jesus but to spend my life telling people about Jesus.”

That call took twists and turns in Daniel’s life, but led him ultimately to Middle Tennessee State University, where he was asked to serve on staff at Belle Aire Baptist Church working in college ministry while in college himself. After college, Daniel moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where he received an MDiv and a PhD in systematic theology. Much more importantly, though, it’s where he met and married his now-wife, Molly. Molly, who spent much of her childhood in Ecuador as the daughter of Baptist missionaries, was pursuing a master’s degree in missions in Louisville and working at a crisis pregnancy center as a bilingual counselor. The two married in 2010 and now have three children: Emma, Claire and Seth.

At Central, Daniel works closely with the Lead Pastor to provide day-to-day leadership support for staff development and ministry efforts. He also oversees the ministry areas of college, missions, worship, communications, and training—including Central’s training and pastoral residency program designed to invest in next generation leaders. It was the uniqueness of this role that Daniel describes as one of the reasons he was so excited to come and serve at Central. “In so many ways, it felt like the Lord was preparing me for a role just like this one, where the areas of ministry line up so perfectly with the ways in which I feel like God has called me to serve. Even more than that, though, I can’t imagine a more special and more energizing place to invest in college students than a place like Central, surrounded by tens of thousands of the most energized and gifted college students in the country.”

Prior to his time at Central, Daniel spent eight years with the ERLC (Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission) working to serve Southern Baptist churches through work and advocacy on some of the key moral and public policy issues confronting churches. During this time he did everything from regularly interacting with journalists and TV shows around the world to directing meetings and events with the White House, elected officials in Congress and churches around the country. “Most of all,” Daniel said, “what I got to do at the ERLC was get to know pastors and churches. Every single week I talked churches through some of the most complicated situations imaginable. It gave me not just awareness of what was going on around the country, but a deep respect and appreciation for the heroic work and ministry going on in Southern Baptist life that few people ever get to see."

In his spare time, Daniel enjoys barbecuing, especially brisket and beef ribs. When he’s not spending time with Molly or the kids, he’s an avid, and wide, reader. His reading list includes everything from systematic theology to political memoirs to spy fiction to Southern literature. Additionally, a huge sports fan, you’ll often find Daniel watching baseball or football. He’s especially a fan of the beloved and often-beleaguered Chicago Cubs.

As a life verse, Daniel looks to Hebrews 12:1–2: “Let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” This verse reminds him of the constant danger of sin, the constant need to press on and to grow, and of the endless stream of grace and mercy that comes from Jesus as we seek him. “I love how this passage reminds us that the Christian life isn’t passive, but active, but even more, is fueled not by our own strength but by God’s ever-present grace and presence in our lives,” says Daniel.