JILLIAN COLLETT | editor-in-chief

New Associate Campus Pastor for Campus Care brings a sharp mind and servant heart to the student body.

With a 5-page resume filled with accomplishments such as dual Masters’ degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary in Theology and in Marriage and Family Counseling, a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and a handful of publications under his belt, Chris Adams would seem to be an intimidating character.

In reality, the newest addition to the Campus Pastor’s Office is anything but. With a heart to serve the needs of others in any way he can, Adams has taken on the new role of Associate Campus Pastor for Community Care.

“Woody realized that with so many undergraduate students, one campus pastor can’t do everything that needs to be done to respond to the needs of the student body,” Adams said. “Now, we can intentionally coordinate pastoral care and counseling in a way they haven’t been able to do before.”

Feeling called into ministry as early as junior high, Adams attended Trevecca Nazarene College in Nashville, TN and graduated in 1993 with a B.A. in Religious Studies.

After a two-year hiatus from the educational world, during which he pursued a more music-centered ministry, Adams felt God calling him in a different direction.

“God has led me into a combination of pastoral ministry and using psychological expertise to understand what it means to be human and what the things are that stress out pastors and families,” Adams said. “How do we support people so they can sustain a career in ministry without getting burnt out?”

In 1995, Adams began at Fuller Theological Seminary, graduating five years later with a dual master’s. The tennis player did not receive tennis elbow from playing tennis, but from clicking the mouse so much while working on his dissertation for the Ph.D. he just received.

But it isn’t about the impressive resume. What causes Adams to stand out from the rest is an incredible heart to serve both Christ and the community, and his ability to use the knowledge he has gained to better benefit those around him.

“He is a great listening, shepherding pastor and brings all the gifts and tools of psychology as well,” Campus Pastor Woody Morwood said. “When any of us go through a hard time, we need multiple resources to help us. Chris will not only be able to pastor, but will also be able to give other recommendations as to how people can work through what they are going through.”

With so many amazing applicants, the position was not easy to fill.

“We looked at close to 100 candidates for the position,” Morwood said. “After the number had been narrowed down, Terry Franson, Jamie [Noling] and I interviewed the last small group. Multiple people spoke into the process of hiring Chris and we had a lot of gifted people interested in filling the position. But as we looked at the candidates and the position, we saw how uniquely Chris fits into it.”

So why does APU even need another pastor? Aren’t Woody and Jamie enough? Adams is what Woody likes to call an “empowering pastor.” He brings the ability to empower others to do more, which, in the long run, is better for students.

“One of the gifts he brings is the creating of systems and structures that will involve more pastors and trained faculty and staff,” Morwood said. “Because of him, there will be enough other people empowered that there will be other trusted people we can direct students to that can pray for them and be there for them if one of us isn’t immediately available.”

The once-adjunct professor for both psychology and theology at APU, Adams is excited about the new position, but experiencing the ever-common nerves that pop up when it comes to taking on a different role.

“Part of what is attractive about the pastor position at a university is that you are surrounded by people who are really conscientious about their faith and who really want to think and wrestle with complex issues. But there is an intimidating side of that which is, well, everyone really knows how to think,” Adams said, laughing. “But I have been so impressed with the students and student leaders over the past week. It is amazing to hear them talk and pray, to hear what they care about.”

Adams, a certified scuba diver who admits he has an embarrassingly large Frank Sinatra collection, began his role as Associate Campus Pastor on Aug. 27. He not only brings a psychological mind frame to the table, but also a background in music ministry and a passionate heart for missions as well. Hung on the wall above his desk is a World Map covered in tiny holes where pins used to be, marking the locations of student teams, missionaries and people he had built relationships with that he knew of, to remind him to pray.

“Keeping it up there reminds me that we are a global village,” Adams said. “We are all one congregation.”