Dr. Tony Merida

Teaching Pastor

Dr. Tony Merida is the new Teaching Pastor at Temple Baptist Church

Excerpts from Tony's Resume

Spiritual Pilgrimage

I went to college on a baseball scholarship. I became a Christian my sophomore year of college. Before that time, I grew up in the church, was a nominal church member, but never had a true conversion experience. After surrendering to Christ as Lord and Savior, I was soon called into ministry and began preaching. After about four years of itinerant preaching, I began traveling full-time and preached at various youth events and summer camps, such as Centrifuge Camps. In 2000, I left for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. It was at seminary that I met my mentor, developed a more comprehensive theology, developed a passion for God’s glory and the Christ-centered Scriptures. I also completed three degrees at NOBTS.

I have served as Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Kenner, LA, and as Dean of the Chapel at NOBTS. After a brief time at the seminary, I sensed that I was to be in the church full-time and in the institution only part-time. It is here that I hope to remain. I love to Pastor and train pastors.

In 2002, I met my wife Kimberly at Centrifuge. She was a student at Southeastern Theological Seminary where she graduated with a Master of Arts in Christian Education. She is also a musician, vocalist, and teacher.

Education

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Ph.D. in Preaching with an Emphasis in Theology (2006)
- Dissertation: “The Christocentric Emphasis of John Piper’s Expository Preaching”
Master of Theology (2004)
Master of Divinity in Biblical Studies (2002)
University of the Cumberlands, KY - B.S. in Secondary Health Education (1999)

Positions

Teaching Pastor – Temple Baptist Church, Hattiesburg, MS A dual-campus church of about 3,500 active members; Preaching at both campuses currently – www.tbclife.net
Ministry-Based Faculty – New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Teaching about 9-12 hours per year (Expository Preaching, Preaching Practicum, Ph.D. seminars, D.Min. seminars); Prior Position: Dean of the Chapel & Assistant Professor of Preaching at NOBTS
Itinerant MinistryPreaching at various youth, college, & church events: Centrifuge, National Collegiate Week in Ridgecrest (2008), Glorieta 2009, Defend the Faith Conference at NOBTS. Teaching at various seminaries overseas such as Kiev Theological Seminary, Ukraine; Writing for Student Life Publishing Company & various journals.

Tony & Kimberly have been married for 5 years, and are in the process of adopting a child (children) from the Ukraine.

Tony's blog: tony.tbclife.net

Kimberly's blog: be the glory