Chris Knipp serves as the Children’s Pastor at Westmore Church of God (where he is also involved with Men’s Ministry, the Christian Education Board, and the Building Team Committee). He is married to Paula, and they have two daughters, Abigayle (13) and Sarah (9). His hobbies include sports, games (board and/or video) and music.
Education:
- 2 Years at Lee University
- 2 Years Church of God School of Ministry
- Currently enrolled in Patten University IDP
Professional Experience of all kinds:
- Baby Sitter
- McDonalds
- Ricerca Research Center
- Kids Sports
- Lake Metro Parks Nature Camp
- Bachman Boys Home
- Maytag Cleveland Cooking Products
- Youth Pastor in Oak Ridge, TN
- Youth Pastor in Chattanooga, TN
- Children’s Pastor of High 5 Children’s Ministry at Westmore Church of God Cleveland, TN (current)
Community Involvement:
- Involved in CCMN (Cleveland Children Minister’s Network)
- Outreach to local schools
- The Caring Place
Two to three unique facts about yourself:
- I love playing drums to “rockin’ in yo face” music
- I can balance objects on my face (e.g. chairs, brooms, flag poles, etc.)
- Deep down inside I’m a closet Gospel Gangsta Rapper (ha ha)
Favorite verse or book of the Bible and reason: I have different favorite verses at different times but if I had to narrow it down and pick a couple I would say the great commandment and the great commission because they sum up what we’re supposed to be doing and how we’re supposed to be doing it. We’re supposed to be making disciples all over the world and we do it by loving God and loving others. Love is the motivation. It’s relationship driven ministry with great commandment living and great commission giving.
Define (in your own words) what it means to be a godly man in your generation: A godly man is one who walks in humility before God. He recognizes his dependence on the Holy Spirit to live the life God has called him to live. He recognizes that he is not his own and that he’s been bought with a price. He has an eternal perspective. He recognizes that the only thing he can take with him to heaven is others who have been created by God, and he dedicates his life to loving God, loving others and serving both. A godly man also duplicates himself by taking the time to invest in succeeding generations. He presents not only the gospel to others, but his life as well.
Other than the presumed answer, “Follow Jesus,” what are one to three key lessons in life that you would encourage young people everywhere
to consider?
- Spend time with God through prayer and Bible study — consistent intimate time in God’s presence
- Quality is always better than quantity in God’s Word — as men we are naturally inclined to go for distance rather than depth. It’s better to meditate on and to take time to understand one chapter rather than read a whole book in one sitting
- Spend time with godly men learning from their successes and failures. The Bible is full of examples of mature men of God and younger men spending time together (Elijah and Elisha, Paul and Timothy, Jesus and his young disciples)
What are one or two dead end roads that you have found in your journey? One dead end road is trying to fulfill the vision God has given you with the wisdom of men instead of just pressing into God’s presence and being sensitive to his Spirit and guidance. Forget the rule “when all else fails… pray” You need to pray first. Acts 4:13
tells how Peter and John were in front of the rulers of the Sanhedrin and the rulers were astonished at their great faith and courage being ordinary untrained men. They took note that they had been with Jesus. That’s the key: being with Jesus. The education training and wisdom of men can be great tools, but if we really want to be effective; we need to spend time with Jesus.
My personal email is cknipp1 at yahoo dot com
