U.S. Air Force, Southwestern prepared Todd Gray for faithful preaching

When Todd Gray first recognized his call to ministry, his training and education did not begin at a seminary or even while on the job at a church. Instead, his preparation began in the United States Air Force.

Gray faced times of difficulty as he grew up in Christoval, Texas, near San Angelo. His father died when he was a toddler, and his years of childhood were marked by hurt due to the relationship with his stepfather and his mother’s diagnosis of multiple sclerosis that eventually led to her passing when he was a young adult.

But during that time of pain, Gray said he visited a small country church where he first heard the Gospel presented. Initially, Gray admitted he listened to the service because he liked the promise of a Savior Who could take away pain. But when the speaker brought up the forgiveness of sins, Gray knew his need for a Savior was not just for relief from physical suffering.

“I was listening because of hurt and pain, but I surrendered because I knew I needed forgiveness of sin,” Gray said of that moment when he chose to follow Christ.

While he still returned to a home with strained relationships and his mother’s health deteriorating, Gray said he now had a foundation to stand on and things were different now that he had a relationship with God Whom he could talk to in his struggles. He attended church with his grandparents and received his first Bible, his knowledge of the Lord growing.

Gray said his faith was crucial during those years as he grew to adulthood, as he watched his mother’s health fail, and played college football only to receive an injury that ended that opportunity.

Gray joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) instead and through that met his wife Tammy, a United States Air Force officer. But at the same time, Gray said he felt God leading him into the ministry and not a long career in the military.

“That was kind of shocking for her,” Gray said of that time of considering what a life in ministry would look like. “But because she was already in the military, and I was in ROTC, God in His providence worked that out. So, I joined the Air Force even after being called to the ministry.”

Gray tried to enter the chaplaincy program in order to pursue God’s call to ministry that way, but discovered he would have to attend seminary first. Already committed to the military through the ROTC but also feeling the clear call to ministry, Gray said every sermon he heard seemed to be God telling him to serve Him while in the military.

“The word was surrender,” Gray said. “And so I surrendered and served in the military as a security forces officer. My wife also served as an officer and an engineer, and then I knew I was going to get out because I was called to the ministry. So, I really tried to leverage my time in the military for ministry.”

He selected the security forces position while stationed in San Antonio because Gray knew that opportunity would give him the most experience in leadership. And later he took on a position as an instructor to assist him with his speaking skills. As a supervisor, Gray said he was able to step in and minister to those under him when a chaplain was not available.

Each step of the way, Gray used his military career to prepare him for future ministry in a church, while still using it to minister to the men and women around him. After four years, Gray knew his time in the military was complete.

“I knew that I needed to fulfill the call and to obey,” Gray said. “And so the whole time I was preparing. And finally, that day came.”

Gray was accepted into Southwestern Seminary, but before he had even started taking classes at the San Antonio extension, he took a position with a church plant in a rough part of the city. As he was learning spiritual precepts and formations, which he said was all new to him, Gray was able to apply what he learned directly into the context of the church he served at.

“Southwestern in those years was pivotal,” Gray said, adding the seminary provided not just theological knowledge but practical information that helped him in his early years of ministry. “… Theology is not very helpful if it’s not practical. All theology is practical theology. So being able to apply early in my years while going through the struggle of a church plant was hard, but awesome.”

Gray said he was also grateful for the opportunity to not just be involved in ministry while pursuing his seminary education, but also to be involved in missions and learning outside the classroom. He participated in the Oxford study program and also spent time in China and Mexico.

Gray finished his Master of Divinity and went on to pastor a church in Italy, Texas, and later a church in Ennis, Texas. During that pastorate, Gray returned to study at Southwestern for his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching, this time attending seminars at the Fort Worth campus.

Although several professors were influential, and Matthew McKellar, Southwestern’s professor of preaching and Gray’s doctoral supervisor, was especially so. Gray recalled meeting with McKellar at Chick-fil-A regularly as he helped him work his way through refining his prospectus, being rejected a few times before it was finalized and approved.

“The influence of not only having professors that are mentors and then friends, but just the level of education that has shown itself at every season in the preaching and teaching and leadership of the local church,” Gray said of the impact Southwestern had on his own pastoring. “I wouldn’t have wanted to do it without Southwestern.”

Specifically, Gray said being taught expository and text-driven preaching prepared him for any number of concerns raised in the churches he has led. From missions to worship wars, to worries of growing the church, Gray said he could redirect the members’ focus from their own opinions to what the Scriptures say to find answers.

“There’s just so many things that, learning to teach the text, that Southwestern taught me,” Gray said. “And then my absolute passion for that in two different degrees and my commitment to it, has helped so many different things in the practical life of the church. … Southwestern has taught me, and I fundamentally believe and teach now myself, that you just go to the text. It’ll help you with any issue that’s in the local church, because that’s what God has given us to direct.”

For 10 years, Gray served as pastor at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Ennis. But then he felt led to Coggin Avenue Baptist Church in Brownwood, Texas, about 100 miles from where he had grown up in the San Angelo area.

“We didn’t want to leave,” Gray admitted, saying they enjoyed their church, had purchased land, and could see themselves spending many more years in Ennis.

But the family followed that call and Gray entered the Coggin Avenue pastorate in 2021. Gray said it has been a blessing for his entire family, as even his wife and three children each found their place in the church and the community.

“I see sweet people,” Gray said of the congregation that saw a revival in their church in the 1990s and their perspective is still influenced by it. “They’ve been kind to me and my family. There’s a spiritual hunger here. They thank me to preach the Bible. They want that. They crave it. And they say thank you even for it.”

“God’s really blessed us with some cool things that are happening, lots of growth,” Gray said, adding they praise God for it as it has been a divine blessing and not any specific method or work on their part. “… I just feel like the faithful preaching has been a benefit, and people have received it, and God is moving.”

McKellar said he has been proud to watch Gray complete his studies at Southwestern and now pastor churches, saying he was even able to be a guest preacher for Gray when they lived in Ennis.

“Todd was an outstanding student, a good preacher, one of the best students I ever had,” McKellar said of his time mentoring Gray through both his MDiv and DMin. “Todd also became a friend outside of the classroom. … I think he’s a really excellent blend — he can do the academics, but he also can do the practical, pastoral, people things. He’s just gifted as a preacher, gifted as a people person, and he was a gifted student.”

As a student, McKellar said Gray received the Al and Beverly Fasol Preaching Award, allowing him to preach in chapel as a student.

“He’s just a down to earth individual who loves the Lord, who worked hard academically, and has been a faithful pastor and preacher.”

While God initially used the U.S. Air Force to begin Gray’s preparation for ministry, Gray said Southwestern continues to be a source of encouragement for him as a result of the friendships he built while studying there.

“It has been a source that I’ve fed off of that has equipped me to preach the Word,” Gray said of Southwestern. “And I think, in addition to that, preach Christ from the whole council of God’s Word for the proclamation of the Gospel message and the furtherance of God’s Kingdom. … They taught me how to study the Bible and take it to the people, not just a moral basis but that Christ is in all of Scripture. I’ve been drawing from that well with what I learned there starting in 2010 up until now.”