Rev. Dr. Brian James Tipton
Connectional Teaching Pastor
Connectional Teaching Pastor | Connectional Teaching Ministries
Provisional Deacon | United Methodist Church
Ph.D. | Bible and Cultures
Adjunct Faculty | Drew Theological School
brian@connectionalteachingministries.org
Pronouns: he/him/his
About the Role:
The role of the Connectional Teaching Pastor is to guide and lead the connectional ministry by building bridges between and within multiple congregations and to facilitate learning opportunities that deepen theological understandings and relationships between congregations, one another within individual communities, and each individual and God. At the core of Pastor Brian's work is an emphasis on justice and compassion, where individuals in need find sanctuary (comfort and compassion), but also where the systems that create individual and social marginalization and oppression are resisted (justice). This twofold response leads to the transformation of the individual and society where hearts and minds are either changed or further entrenched in Christian love in order to change personal and social actions while also creating faith-based spaces with an atmosphere of hope, love, faithfulness, and trust.
Founded on an emphasis of personal and social holiness, the teaching pastor facilitates new relationships and connections while creating space(s) for learning and disciple growth, which then sends folks out into the greater community (discipleship), connecting congregants with the community’s needs (service), and serving those needs in a way that represent Christ in the world, bringing the good news of a just and loving God to the world (evangelism).
About Pastor Brian:
Pastor Brian's call as a deacon within the UMC is as a guide. He has been, is, and will continue to be a guide for others through his capacity as the Connectional Teaching Pastor. An academic guide. A theological guide. An emotional guide. A spiritual guide. A life guide. He has been a guide for folks over the years, helping them navigate their own life journeys, their own travels, the bumps in the road along those journeys, but also the moments of celebration, the moments of theological reflection, and the moments of asking hard questions. In each of these he has felt called to remind folks that they are loved – that they are God’s beloved made in the image of God.
Pastor Brian lives out his call both within and outside of the Church. As an adjunct faculty teaching New Testament courses, he recognizes that there are various aspects to being a guide within his academic vocation, not least of which is being a guide in the art of biblical interpretation, being a guide in the theological/faith lives of his students and thus their future congregations, but also a spiritual and emotional guide in the midst of seminary and life’s journeys that occur during studies. Following his call as a “professing Professor” provides a unique connection to those that are in the midst of seminary and the ordination process themselves – a type of connection, relatability, and authenticity that allows for stronger connections and deepens and authenticates his role as a guide within that setting and within their lives.