Pastor’s Corner: Will Spink

Will Spink, Southwood Presbyterian Church

Tell us about yourself.

I grew up as a pastor’s kid and have always known the love of Jesus, but I’m learning more of how amazing it is as I see more of how much I need it (I love preaching about God’s grace because I need it!). God has graciously given me an incredible wife of 10 years (Christy) and three wonderful girls (Caitlyn, 7, Allie, 5, and Lily, 2). I love being a husband and father but am regularly reminded how much I don’t have figured out (and we haven’t even hit teenage years yet!). Christy and I met at Clemson University and have been in Huntsville almost 7 years. We love Southwood Presbyterian, where I have been a pastor for those years with an awesome and obviously very patient congregation. And we love the Huntsville community, where we see people we know and love every time we visit Target, Little Rosie’s, or Whitesburg Elementary. I’m an extreme extrovert and really love people – both because I truly care about them and because I’m often craving their approval.

What motivates you to do what you do?

Honestly, as I indicated above, I’m often motivated by a desire to feel significant to myself or valued by other people, whether that’s my wife, my friends, or church members. But the better reason I became a pastor is that I love to see the good news of Jesus impact people’s lives and to see them set free from the performance and achievement treadmill I know so well. One of my greatest passions is to see God’s Word open up in someone’s eyes in a way that changes how they view their work, their family, and themselves. It is also a high privilege to be invited into the highest joys and deepest sorrows of people’s lives and to bring the reminder of a God who is always present with his people along with me.

What is God speaking to you right now?

We’ve been studying through Ephesians on Sunday mornings this year, and God continues to astonish me at the richness of his love and grace to us. God has used it to remind me in a new way of the necessity of prayer – of my moment-by-moment dependence upon him. For a guy who likes to move full-speed, I need consistent reminders to slow down and trust the Lord to work beyond, through, and in spite of me. He has also taught me the beauty of the Church as the body of Christ and the great gift we have in being connected because of Jesus to all sorts of people – people with whom we otherwise may share nothing in common. It’s a great encouragement to see how God promises to work in incredible ways through such weak and diverse people because He loves them deeply.

What does unity in our city mean to you?

Unity in the city would mean that Huntsville’s churches come to treasure Jesus so much that we connect beyond our differences – that Jesus, the one thing we share in common, actually becomes more important to us than social comforts, personal preferences, and individual church growth. I regularly tell visitors that the kingdom of God is much larger than Southwood or any particular church and that there are many great churches in Huntsville that I’d be happy to help them connect with. I really believe Huntsville has many wonderful churches, and I wish we got to lock arms more often for the sake of our city. We should be praying for and laboring alongside brothers and sisters of different ages, races, and socio-economic statuses because we serve the same King and it’s HIS kingdom we want to see come in Huntsville as it is in heaven.

Please pray for our city

Father, you are able to do great things, and so we pray that you would make Huntsville a city that thrives in every way. Would you make us a community of people who care for each other deeply and give each other hope. Would you make our businesses thrive, our public housing as well as our wealthiest neighborhoods be places of refuge and safety, and our schools places of excellent education and consistent hope for our kids. We commit our leaders to you – Mayor Battle and our other civic leaders, Dr. Wardynski and our other school leaders, our judges, police officers, and other public servants – strengthen them to lead wisely, justly, and humbly. Finally, Father, may your name be made great in the churches of Huntsville. Make your people here those who love, pray for, and work for the best of this city in every way, as you have called us. We pray these things in the name of Jesus, who moved toward us in our brokenness to make us new. Amen.

Tags: Huntsville, Our City On A Hill, Pastor's Corner, prayer, southwood Presbyterian, unity, will spink