I’m Derek Jones, Student Minister of First Baptist Church Pineville. I minister to 7th - 12th grade students and their families. My primary responsibility is to help develop and implement programs and events that help to grow F.I.R.S.T. Students! My goal is to keep our students Focused on Christ, Involved in Ministry, Respected by Peers, Strengthened in the Faith, and Transformed by Christ! This is done through Sunday School, Wednesday night gatherings, home groups, youth camp, Disciple Now,  and other special events throughout the year!
 
Life:
I spent most of my life in Southwest Missouri until I followed a mentor to Tampa, Florida. I was there for a year and a half until I met my soon-to-be wife and moved to Louisiana.

My wife, Erin, and I met through a friend in March of 2022, and we were married on September 24 of the same year.
 
Birthday: December 20, 1980
  
Education:
Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Southwestern Baptist University, Bolivar, MO, (2018)
 
Ministry Service:
I served as an intern at FBC Mt. Vernon, MO for 6 years, and 2 years at FBC Tampa, FL. I helped with the worship ministries and college-age ministries at both churches.

Interests & Favorites:

• Places: I love spending time in nature, safely behind the windshield of a car. I’ve enjoyed trips to Wyoming, NYC, Minnesota, and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
• Dream Trips: Pacific Northwest, Harbin Ice Festival in Harbin China, Meghalaya India, London, the Alps.
• Hobbies:  I love listening to music and playing guitar. I enjoy reading books on theology, history, travel, sports, and the fiction genres of classics and fantasy. I like board and video games of many kinds. I watch a lot of sports. My teams are the Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA), St. Louis Cardinals (MLB), Dallas Cowboys (NFL), LSU (NCAA), and Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League).
• Books: The Reason for God by Timothy Keller, Peter & the Starcatchers Series by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson, The Way of the Shepherd by Kevin Leman, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
• Favorite TV Shows: One Tree Hill, Frasier, The West Wing.
• Life Scripture: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” - 1 Peter 4:8