Pastor Jeni Hall - Bentonville Community Church
"Pastor and a friend." We joked about that being the vibe we were going for during this photo shoot. But in all seriousness, it's easy to love Pastor Jeni from the moment you meet her. I'm honored to call her both my pastor and friend.
Tell us about yourself and how you got into ministry.
I grew up in a small town in Southwest Missouri, Hartville, and developed a love for God and the Church at a very young age. I remember at age 11 feeling a deep sense that God was calling me to give my life to His Church, but I had no clue what would that mean. Honestly, I assumed it meant he was sending me to Africa! In my teen years, I began to discover that God had gifted me as a communicator and I began to have opportunities to preach at the age of 16. For the next 10 years of my life, all the while preaching at various church events, I really wrestled with my call to ministry as a female. At around age 25, God aligned my path with the Church of the Nazarene denomination who fully embraced me and my calling as a female pastor. I became the Lead Pastor of a church in Springfield, Missouri and since then have followed God's call to the Oregon Coast for 5 years and now in NWA at Bentonville Community Church of the Nazarene.
Your husband is the Worship Arts Pastor at BCC. What is it like working with your husband?
Everyone always wonders how our marriage survives working together! To be honest, I think we were just designed for it. We LOVE working together & cannot imagine life any other way. Technically as Lead Pastor, I am his boss and I think because of the way God designed us it just really works. In our unique leadership roles, we use the gifts & talents God has given us and then lean on one another in our areas of weakness as we would with any team member. It's not always easy. When we are struggling with our personal lives, we have just made it our practice to be transparent when necessary with our team at the church. Through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, our hope is to model healthy communication and normalize marital challenges. We definitely fail at this & we try to be real about this too rather than hide the very things that make us human. There are also definitely times when we have to be very intentional about shutting "work" off. It's so easy for work to continue around the dinner table and even when we are laying in bed at night because we are both so passionate about our calling. We have learned that we need spaces where we can't "talk shop" with one another. It's messy, but I sure am thankful my husband is as in love with God's Church as I am! God gave his people the Church so that none of us would have to journey alone. As pastors, we too benefit from the together journey of the people of God! We are encouraged, challenged, and motivated by the wonderful people God has called us to serve.
What is your favorite Bible verse?
My favorite Bible verse is Phillippians 2:13 which says, "for God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." (NLT) I find this verse so incredibly encouraging as I aim to follow the way of Jesus in life. There are days when I don't even want to the right thing. This tells me that God will even change my heart! He will make me WANT what HE WANTS! Then he will take it a step further and give me the power to see it through. WOW! I just feel overwhelmed with God's goodness every time I read that. I want so badly to be a "good person" - to be someone who brings about all the good things of heaven on earth (like Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord's Prayer), but on my own, I just fall short so often. As I surrender my life over the King Jesus day after day, I can rest in the fact that my heart can be transformed to desire the things of the Kingdom. What a gift!!
What advice do you have for other women who aspire to become pastors or spiritual leaders?
The greatest gift we can give others as pastors/spiritual leaders is a life-completed surrendered to the transforming power of Jesus. My advice: wake up every day & lean into the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. Pattern your life after King Jesus and let God do the work of placing you in positions of influence. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the "to-do"s of ministry & leadership. I often feel myself compelled back to the simple call to be a disciple - an apprentice - of Jesus. As we are in the process of becoming more like Jesus, we simply invite others to join the journey with us. "...act justly...love mercy and...walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8 NIV) Bonus advice: seek out a mentor - leaning on mentorship throughout my journey has been the greatest gift & encouragement as I have aimed to find my way. If this is where you're at, reach out to me. I'd love to chat!
