Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons: Socially Distant. Spiritually Connected.

by Jeff Bond

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Chat Guest

Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons is the sixth Senior Minister of Peachtree Christian Church in its illustrious 90-year history. Dr. Longbons and his wife Colleen are natives of Central Illinois, and both have been blessed to come from Christian homes. As a teenager, Dr. Longbons sensed a calling to vocational ministry and has spent his entire adult life pursuing this calling. He preached his first sermon at age fifteen, and he has since served in each of the three main branches of the Campbell-Stone Movement: Disciples of Christ, Independent Christian Churches, and Churches of Christ. This experience combined with the movement’s ethos toward unity has shaped Dr. Longbons’ deep desire for inter-denominational Christian unity and authentic community.

Dr. Longbons has an undergraduate degree in theology and homiletics from Lincoln Christian University, and a master’s degree in contemporary theology focusing on theology, philosophy, and ecology. He earned his Ph.D. in theology from the University of Nottingham under the supervision of John Milbank. Dr. Longbons’ research focuses on the doctrine of creation, ecology, and the church as a “community of creation.” In addition to serving the local church and his theological scholarship, Dr. Longbons has enjoyed the occasional adjunct teaching position and opportunities to guest lecture.

His wife Colleen has been an indispensable part of his ministry for over ten years, first as a volunteer to youth and then later as a mentor to young women and as a member of various groups: worship teams, book clubs, Bible classes, and children’s programs. Dr. Longbons describes Colleen as him, “partner in redemption” who “enchants the world.” They have two daughters and a son.

Chat Highlights

Tell me more about your leadership of Peachtree Christian Church in the heart of Atlanta GA. How big is your staff? How big is your congregation? Challenges around COVID-19.
One of the most important things for leaders to do is to take care of themselves mentally and emotionally. How are you currently doing this while we are socially distant and unable to attend in person church services while in quarantine to flatten the coronavirus curve?
How are you continuing to engage your staff to ensure the necessary ministry is getting done in this new, now normal of social distancing? What changes have you had to make?
How can you emotionally support and minister to people in this time (Jarrod shares a story of the impact he had on his daughter’s teacher while she navigates distance learning and the coronavirus crisis)?
Call to action from Jarrod: How are you leading and living to make everything around you and everyone around you flourish?