Tyler Evatt
My wife, Kaida, and I live in Daingerfield, Texas with our daughter, Ruthy, and we are excited to welcome our second daughter, JJ, in January. Kaida is a chemical engineer and a graduate of the University of Arkansas. We met while she was still at the university, and after we were married we moved to Longview, Texas, for her job at Eastman Chemical. Before stepping into full-time ministry I worked in special education, spent several years in EMS as both an EMT and a paramedic, and later took a remote role in the mortgage industry. Through every season I stayed involved in ministry by teaching, leading small groups, and serving wherever there was a need.
A key part of my calling was shaped during my time in Columbia, Missouri, where I worked with Ben while we were planting a church. That season gave me a broad exposure to discipleship, small groups, and the everyday work of ministry. After that, I served at Pathway Baptist Church in Fayetteville and Longview Missionary Baptist Church in Longview, Texas working with Youth and Young Adults. In 2022 God opened the door for me to serve full time as the Youth Pastor at South Union Baptist Church in Daingerfield, Texas, where I write lessons, plan activities, teach classes, and preach when needed.
Although my primary audience has been youth and young adults, my approach has always centered on discipleship and leadership development. I served in college ministry, youth ministry, and adult small groups for many years, writing studies, planning events, and helping people grow in their faith.
-Tyler Evatt
Discipleship Pastor
There are a lot of questions around this new position, so I’m going to attempt to answer them for you here. We have covered all of this before, but it’s been a while and some of it has changed as we have progressed. I’ll attempt to cover it in three sections.
Why do we need another Pastor?
What is the process for hiring?
What Will He Do?
Why do we need another Pastor?
Our church averages around 170 people each week, and with that many families and individuals, the need for pastoral care has grown beyond what one person can realistically provide. Our deacons are doing an excellent job supporting the ministry, but their role is not the same as the role of a pastor, and Scripture makes that distinction for a reason. A pastor’s work includes care, teaching, shepherding, counseling, and investing in people in ways that require time and availability. I am not able to give every person and every need the attention they deserve, while also meeting with new families, preparing sermons, and leading the church forward.
Adding another pastor allows us to care for our people more faithfully and more biblically. The New Testament model is for churches to have multiple pastors who share the responsibility of shepherding the flock. Bringing another pastor onto our team strengthens our ability to serve, care, and disciple well, and ensures that no one is overlooked or underserved as our church continues to grow.
July 2024
Solid Rock instructed me to hire an Associate Pastor, and we began the search at that time.
January 2025
We approved a salary package for the position as part of the 2025 budget.
October 2025
Tyler Evatt contacted me about a separate conversation. While we were talking, I mentioned the Associate Pastor position, but I honestly did not think it would be something he was interested in. I was clearly wrong. He was interested, and about a week later we had an interview.
November 2025
Tyler and Kaida came up for the weekend. They spent time with the Deacons and their wives, and we spent the weekend talking through everything. We discussed the job, expectations, workflow, and long term plans. We also spent some time getting reacquainted.
December 13, 2025
Tyler will be back for a dinner at the church with anyone who is interested in spending some time with him. Kaida is not able to travel right now, so this will be a laid back evening to get to know him.
December 14, 2025
Tyler will preach in the morning service. After the service, we will have a Q & A time with him. After he leaves, we will move into a business meeting. If the church is ready to vote, we will vote on calling him as Discipleship Pastor. If not, we will adjourn until the evening service and vote then.
Why Vote That Day?
I would prefer to wait a week to vote, but with the holidays and the sensitive nature of leaving one church for another, it is better for us to give him an answer quickly. The following week is Christmas, and the week after is historically a very low Sunday. If we waited until everyone is back, we would make him wait three weeks for an answer. The Deacons and I believe the best option is to hold the business meeting and vote on December 14.
What Will He Do?
Some have asked if having an Associate Pastor will take things off my plate. In some ways it will, but mostly it will not. I already had to make the decision last year that I had to let some things go. I just don’t have time to do everything. He will take a few of my responsibilities, but most of what he will do are things that I needed to do but didn’t have the capacity to do.
I have called this position Associate Pastor, but I will ask the church to give him the title “Discipleship Pastor.” His primary roles will be Discipleship, Small Groups, and New People.
Discipleship
Our discipleship ministries exist and they are going well, but I have put very little effort into them. Kim and Mike have done all the heavy lifting without me. To reach their full potential, they need someone with experience who can organize, oversee, and inspire people to take discipleship seriously. His role will be to recruit people into the ministry, make sure the accountability groups are functioning, and push them beyond where they will naturally settle. He will work with our existing leaders to make this happen.
Small Groups
Our Small Group Leaders have done a phenomenal job, especially considering that almost none of them had led a group before they came to Solid Rock and that I have given them virtually no training. The Discipleship Pastor will work to improve our groups, involve more people, and provide training and support to our leaders.
The tendency is to think of Small Groups as just a Bible Study, as a side ministry that gets added on to Sundays if we have time. Even when we try to communicate differently, it is easy for people to slip into that mindset. Our Small Groups should be the heart of our church. They should be part of discipleship and a place where we find community. His job will be to help move that from a goal to a reality.
New People
I am constantly torn between giving time to new people and giving time to our existing people. Whether it is at the door on Sundays or during the week, there is simply not enough time for me to do both well. The goal will be for him to lead our first contact and guest process while I focus more on our long-term people. He will work with Mrs. Karen on guest follow up, be at our first time guest station every week, and schedule lunch or coffee meetings with guests each week.
Other Responsibilities
It will take him a while to get all of this in place. Once he has settled into the role, he and I will reevaluate our responsibilities and decide if there are other things he should take on. I am confident that as these ministries grow into what they should be, he will find more than enough work to keep him busy.