The ECM Pastor

David Jones
Campus Pastor
Phone: 785-539-4281
Email: dajones@k-state.edu

Biography

Ecumenical is a word that means whole. It is an inclusive term that is generally applied to cooperative efforts among religious organizations from different denominations. Your current ecumenical campus pastor, David Jones, has come by his station in life very honestly. He not only talks the ecumenical talk, he has walked the ecumenical walk!

It has taken numerous Christian denominations to raise David. During his early years he was nurtured by parents who had been devoted members of the Church of the Nazarene. He grew up in Freeman, South Dakota, a Mennonite community! As a teenager he enjoyed attending an American Baptist church camp in the Black Hills, before matriculating to Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota Lutheran college. After working for a couple of years, he went to seminary in Kansas City, Missouri at the Saint Paul School of Theology, a United Methodist seminary. While in seminary, he joined the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) which is a group that emphasizes the unity of all Christians. Now, in his current capacity as ECM campus pastor, he is working with members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ, and the Disciples of Christ to invite the students at Kansas State University, both religious and non-religious, to engage the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.

David has an ongoing interest in leadership and leadership development. In addition to his campus ministry work locally, he serves on the leadership team of the National Campus Ministry Association, as well as on the board of directors for the Higher Education and Leadership Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Committee on Preparation for Ministry for the Presbytery of Northern Kansas.

Throughout the years, David has served congregations in Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Kansas. Throughout his life he has been active in church camping: as a camper, counselor, chaplain, and director. In his spare time, he managed to earn a Ph.D. in religion from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Yes, he enjoys country music (and many other kinds of music, too!), but don't ask him to play his guitar or sing. You'll regret it! He began his ministry at the Ecumenical Campus Ministry on April 1, 1997.

David lives in a home located on some acreage west of Manhattan with his wife, Linda, his son, Nathan, his daughter, Lindsey, their dog, Bear, their horse, Rusty, ten cats, three Angus females, and in the summer months preceding the county fair, two lambs.

Although he doesn't keep strict office hours, David can usually be found in or near the ECM office at 1021 Denison Ave. Feel free to pick up the phone or stop by. He is always ready for a good cup of coffee and conversation.