#5 Transforming Lives Through Urban Ministry and Education - Dr. Tommy Carrington:
Episode 5 | 28 Minutes | Dec 24, 2024
Have you ever wondered how your story could shape a life-changing impact on others? From growing up in Jamaica to leading urban ministry efforts in Miami, Dr. Tommy Carrington’s journey is a testament to the power of stepping into God’s calling—even when it feels daunting.
In this episode of the Innovate for Good podcast, Dr. Carrington shares how his passion for at-risk youth led to decades of transformative urban ministry, the founding of the Urban Training Network, and a role as a professor equipping the next generation of ministry leaders. Whether you’re considering a career in ministry, urban work, or nonprofit leadership, Dr. Carrington’s story will inspire and challenge you to embrace the unique ways God can use your gifts.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
Dr. Tommy Carrington’s early years in Jamaica and transition to the U.S.
How a college internship ignited his passion for urban youth ministry
Founding the Urban Training Network to empower underserved churches
Lessons from 30+ years of ministry in Miami’s diverse communities
Why teaching the next generation of leaders fuels his passion today
How students can overcome apprehension and make an immediate impact in ministry
-
Dr. Tommy Carrington is a professor of Christian Ministries at Taylor University, with decades of experience in urban ministry, youth mentorship, and nonprofit leadership. Born and raised in Jamaica, Tommy immigrated to Miami, where he served as a chaplain in a juvenile detention center and later as an area director for Youth for Christ. In 1995, he founded the Urban Training Network, an organization dedicated to equipping churches with tools to reach underserved youth. Now a professor, Dr. Carrington is passionate about preparing the next generation of ministry leaders to serve communities with courage, creativity, and compassion.
-
welcome to the Innovate for Good podcast. Um, I'm Carly. and
Mark.
we are talking to people who are making a difference in their fields. And today we're here with Tommy Carrington, Dr. Tommy Carrington, a Christian ministries professor at Taylor university. So thank you so much for joining
us today, Tommy.
My joy.
let me just say just again really quick, good to see you. I've been in like a handful of your classes and that's always been fun. You've been so gracious to allow me, one collective, to share about, who we are in your classes and meet with your students. I'm sure we'll be coming there this fall.
So,
tommy, we are really curious about your early years. You grew up and you were raised in Jamaica. I've got all kinds of questions, but I'll just let you talk.
Yeah, born and raised in Jamaica. My, both my parents are Jamaican. A lot of people ask me if they were missionaries or anything and the answer is no.
And as far as we can trace back the, history, we're Jamaican, you know,
Carrington's in the Caribbean and Trinidad and Jamaica.
That is so interesting. And Jamaica, the national language is, I mean, it's English, right? But there's also the local language.
Well, so the national language is English. So we were a British colony and the British, you know, brought African slaves and Indian. So there is a dialect. So it's not a fully formed language per se. you can't write it, except phonetically, so people will speak it, and we call it patois, but it's, it's basically broken English with a few African words and made up words, and it's, it's, it's interesting, but, but yeah,
or, or, Yeah, our basic language is English.
And do you have like a memory or two that, stands out from your childhood? Oh, wow.
Lots of great memories. Well, guess the one that stands out is I grew up in the capital. So in the city, Kingston, which is not particularly remarkable or anything. So tourists don't really go there. but island of Jamaica is beautiful. And so the highlights for me as a kid was to go with my family.
We would go to the mountains, you know, the blue mountains or, mountains in Mandeville or of course the beaches. So the nicest beaches were in the North coast or the, furthest West coast in Montego Bay and Negril. Kingston was close to the ocean, but not nice white sand beaches like you have in the other parts.
So yeah, the contrast of mountains and hills and then the ocean right there. You literally come off a mountain and you're at the ocean, yeah, it's absolutely stunning and beautiful.
Wow. Do you still have family there?
I don't. So when we left, gradually the whole family left, including cousins and aunts and uncles. And yeah, so when I, go back, which is not too often now, but when I do, who I see would be like my church family. So I still have good connections with people from the church that I grew up with.
So kids that were in youth group with me who, you know, one is now the senior pastor and the youth pastor and the elders. And so, yeah, that's cool.
So what
brought you, specifically to Miami?
So when my parents decided to immigrate, they chose Miami. I'm trying to think why, because I graduated from high school. And so, you know, you just go with your parents. They chose Miami. We had connections, not family, but just people that we knew. So it was very hard to, when you immigrate from a country and you just arrive in another country, you kind of need a foundation.
You kind of need a base. So there were families that took us in and showed us around, helped us get our first job. I had my first
job at 16. I was a car porter for, a major, car company, and
then I was a bus boy and then waiter at a restaurant at nights. And on weekends I worked at Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips.
so you were just immersed right in the
community from the beginning right when you moved there
yeah, we came here with very little money and the clothes on our back and the suitcases and everybody went to work. Mark says: Well, that is amazing that you made that journey and got connected so quickly. I want to switch gears a bit, you hvae a passion and interest in community urben work. Can you tell us how you went form a Car porter to running a non-profit and teaching?
And in Miami, I'm thinking that's kind of where your interest in community work and urban work kind of was hatched. Right? I mean, you probably began to see some things in Miami that were sparking an interest or maybe a new direction in life for you. Tell us a little bit about that.
Yeah, so it didn't start out that way. I was a psychology major at a Christian college. Biblical studies and counseling psychology. And as a part of my college internship, we were required to do an internship. And the way they put it, you know, this is an undergraduate level, so you're not doing serious clinical counseling, but they wanted us to at least experience the.
Field of psychology. So I did an internship with a Christian counselor. I did a few months with a marriage and family therapist. And then I did three months with the chaplain of the juvenile detention center in Miami. It was chaplaincy, so it was a combination of church programming, but then we would go back and talk with the kids one on one.
So that was my introduction to, working with kids at risk. And, yeah, something ignited there where when I was doing my internship with clinical therapists, it was okay, but I just couldn't see myself doing that. They were amazing therapists. I just couldn't see myself doing that.
And when I was working with the chaplain of the juvenile detention center, And I would talk to kids and I would share the gospel and I would, you know, listen to them. That's where it clicked. And that's where I developed a real passion and burden for these kids who were locked up in jail, basically. And hearing their stories and how they got
there and all of those kinds of things really made an impact on me.
And so, a volunteer position turned into a part time position and then a full time position. And so, yeah, I was one of the assistant chaplains of the juvenile detention center in Miami for five years.
I was just going to say that you launched this nonprofit. The urban training network. Was that later on? Or was that soon after you had this experience with the detention center,
Yes. So it was much later on. So I served in the chaplaincy for five years.
And then one of my burdens was, hearing all these stories about how these kids came from their life story and their family backgrounds. And so I developed a burden for, what's the life of a kid before they get locked up, before they get to this stage.
And so I became an area director with Youth for Christ.
Liberty City, Overtown were my areas. And so working with kids who would be considered at risk kids, just community kids, And, doing evangelism and discipleship in that context. So I did that for seven years. So I was with Youth for Christ for 12.
And then I started my own organization. So 12 years later.
Wow.
What prompted you to take that next step of transitioning from that role with Youth for Christ to actually starting the Urban Training Network? Right.
but one of the biggest ones was, well, I'll give you two big ones. So one was, in my role with Youth for Christ, I did Miami's first urban youth workers seminar, and we just decided to just do a training, not for Youth for Christ staff, but to advertise it to the community and bring people in for training.
So it was an African American fellow. Staff worker and myself that had this idea. And so we, said we're going to do the seminar and we're kind of joking with each other. Your mom will come, right? Yeah. Yeah. And he said, you know, your brother will come, right? And I said, yeah, my brother will come.
So we got the word out. And when the day came over 200 people showed up for this training
and the two of us looked at each other like, Oh, we were like, Oh, somebody called churches chicken quick.
Cause we don't have
enough. Yeah, We don't have enough lunch. We don't have enough materials. And it was amazing. So at the end of the day, we both looked at each other and said, you think there's a need here? And we kind of said there, there's a need. And so that was the spark.
That was the first spark was the fact that there was such a need and people came hungry and they just wanted to learn and they were just
so, you know, so this was in the community. The other thing that sparked it was I realized that when I was picking up kids for our youth group, we had a van, I would drive around and pick up kids, I would literally pass.
30, 40 storefront churches to get to, you know, the spot where we were doing our Bible studies. And I would always wonder what happens in that little church in that corner. What about on that corner and that corner, all these churches, do they have youth groups? Are they reaching kids?
And so I ventured, I would knock on doors and find out that Nobody had office hours there. But I would try to find the leaders. And so between the seminars and door to door, I just found out that there's a huge need that they don't typically have youth groups, but they wanted to. They didn't know where to start or what to do.
And so that was the spark that led me to say, you know what? This is a full time ministry. We've got to build relationships with churches and bring training to them and help them.
Wow.
Yeah.
And that was kind of the birth of this entity.
so the Urban Training Network was born and, initially it comprised of, trainings. So, I continue to do the Urban Youth Workers Seminar, in fact, in 2019, we celebrated the 33rd Urban Youth Workers Seminar in Miami.
Then it turned into, mentoring and ongoing training and weekly trainings and yeah, it just grew and exploded.
It sounds like that the churches maybe weren't aware that they were, uh, one of many that there were many in the same that didn't have access to this training and that you were kind of uncovering this as you were talking to many churches, which we often see that churches aren't working together, aren't speaking to each other and they're divided even as they have
similar goals.
Yeah. Yeah. And then the word started to get out, I don't want to say that I became a household name in Miami, but people text me now and say, you know, I was
just meeting with a pastor or youth pastor and they mentioned your name and they miss you and they want you back and all of that.
You know, 33
years of doing the same
thing in the same general area. Yeah, your
name gets around.
Yeah. I mean, household name in Miami might be something like LeBron
James or something, but, but, um, so how did this contribute to like, further transformation in the city?
one of the exciting things that I got to witness are things like churches that didn't have any youth ministry at all to launching a youth ministry and getting it going. And then I would see transitions like churches that had a small youth ministry, but It was either all programmatic, you know, you just show up and there's, you know, the way I say it, you, you sing for an hour, preach for an hour, send everybody home, you know, it's just a program.
And so I'm going in and I'm training them and how to build relationships, how to do events, how to do, community outreaches, you know, those kinds of things, creative, elements of youth ministry. So to watch a youth ministry go from all we used to do is Wednesday night or Friday night youth group.
And now to recruit volunteers and now they're going into schools and they're doing Bible clubs and school campuses and all different things that I got to, to witness happen.
here
So it was going really, really well. And when I had this, notion to leave it, to go back and do a second doctorate, that was, that was a tough decision, but
I bet.
yeah.
What led you to pursue that second doctorate? What were some of those factors in your mind that you're considering?
Yeah. So number one was, I loved what I was doing. I was passionate about it. But all my life from graduation, from college, I have had to raise my own support, and I don't know why, but it just became, harder and harder, and it just became if I didn't do more fundraising, then I couldn't support myself, but it would take away from the ministry.
And just, it became a financial struggle. The second thing that was happening at the same time was I was
loving training. I was loving this idea of passing on to the next generation, all the things that God had given me the, opportunity to learn and do.
And so I wanted to formally pass it on to the next generation. The one of the best ways to do that is probably through a college.
Yeah.
And when I would apply to teach, I had a doctor of ministry, but most schools want you to have a PhD. They would just say, we'd love your background. We'd love your training, but accreditation requires us that our full time professors have PhDs.
And I thought, you know what? I've wanted this all my life. I've dreamed of it. I'm going to do it. Sold my house in
Miami, moved to Illinois and pursued a PhD at Trinity.
is so exciting,
Tommy. As someone who knows you just like in classroom short conversations, hearing this story, I mean, starting with You're from a Jamaican family. It's like, this is kind of blowing me away, but it's so enriching. And can you tell us a little more about like the transition now into your professor role? I'd love to hear more about that and just how that's going for
Yeah. So, the burden to, pursue higher education, get a PhD led me to move to Illinois. Went to Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. I completed my coursework in two years. And then, after your coursework comes, dissertation. Well, when I finished my coursework, it was 2020. I finished, in January of 2020, then COVID hit, and you might think that might be a good time for me to write my dissertation, but, not so much.
But at the same time, Trinity offered me a full time teaching position starting the fall of 2020.
So, I transitioned to that and was teaching for them. My master's was in psychology and they needed a psychology professor. So I was teaching psychology at Trinity and I loved it, but it wasn't my passion.
Okay.
I was constantly thinking, do I want to train the next generation of Christian ministry leaders or potential therapists? And it was, you know what? It's, it's ministry. I want to train ministry leaders. I want to train
the next generation of youth pastors. So anyway, I love teaching at Trinity, taught for two years full time.
And then the opportunity at Taylor. came up and I knew the director of the program and, they needed a Christian ministry professor and they loved the emphasis on youth ministry and urban ministry. They loved, they loved the combination of all the ingredients that I would bring. And so, yeah, it was a natural transition.
So in your role now, I've heard your passion for urban ministry and youth and training. What would you say is your, what do you love the most now? Like what's your biggest passion now in what you're doing?
So, it's that idea of, you know, I walk into the classroom and I see the 18 year old Tommy Carrington sitting in that classroom.
I see him, or her, right?
And I see that. I see me in them. And I'm giving stories and telling them about, youth ministry and everything, and I can almost feel that feeling that I felt.
Preaching my first sermon in the juvenile detention center or that first camp that I ever did with at risk kids or that first time mentoring a group of students from the inner city who loved, coming to my house and doing a Bible study, those kinds of things.
And so, although I, I miss it, I miss that, but the opportunity to invest in the next generation of. young leader that's gonna go out there and do what I did for 30 plus years, you know? So that's exciting to me, and it's exciting to, sit with the students for coffee. Or in my office or, on campus and just be able to, listen to them, what's their heart, what's their vision and to speak into it and to, talk about my experiences and what led me to do what I did after college.
And, you know, so that, that excites me.
That feels like a really natural continuation of what you've done, you know, from your first day in ministry to where you're investing in this next generation now to continue those same things. Do you have any examples or stories of, How the second generation, of ministry workers has impacted the community or have gone on then to even train other ministry workerseither from when you were in Miami or as a professor.
I'll tell you the most exciting thing that happened in the last 10 years. Just so I sold my house. I'm planning to move to Illinois and my kids. from my youth group who are now in their nearly 40.
And they have, they're married with kids, but they found out I was leaving and they organized the
reunion. We had kids come from North Carolina, Georgia, and of course all over Miami. And we had about 30 of them come and gather together. And it was just so exciting.
And encouraging to hear their stories and those that are continuing with the Lord and those that went into ministry and, kids with master's degrees, kids from the projects of Miami that graduated and went to college, have a nurse, have a pharmacist that has a doctorate. just amazing to hear their stories.
And of course, you know, as a basket case when they're saying things like they're pointing to the volunteers or myself and saying, you know, it was our tutoring program that led them to want to go to college and got them into college. And it was,
The Youth for Christ program that this and I was just a basket case.
It was so humbling, you know, but it was so beautiful.
That's really special. that they, we're able to value you and celebrate you in that way.
As you made that big transition. That's cool
That was incredible.
Yeah. So how does, how would you say that, getting involved in community transformation to work helps students. In their own lives and their own faith journeys.
Or I'll say it again to how would getting involved in urban ministry help students develop and grow in their own faith journeys and their own lives
That
Yeah. So I'll tie it into, something that came up earlier. Somebody challenged me with the question and challenged me, but they asked the question and it was challenging, but you know, how do I feel about, you know, 30 plus years of urban ministry. And now teaching in one of the most, rural, suburban,
uh, white evangelical schools in the nation, right? Have I lost my passion or have I lost the, desire to train and equip leaders in the city. It was actually an African American pastor, a mentor of mine, who was, talking to me about my story of possibly going to teach at Taylor. He said, Tommy, don't diminish the power and the opportunity of you inspiring the kid from Terre Haute, Indiana or wherever, inspiring them to go into ministry in a major metropolitan city.
And who's better to equip them for that than you and your experience? He said, you're going to have students, that might graduate and go into suburban ministry or rural or whatever. But you're going to have students that your story is going to ignite with them. This passion, and they're going to want to possibly go into Chicago or, Miami it doesn't even have to be that big of a city, you know, have a burden for, diverse population, cross cultural ministry, all those kinds of things. And now Taylor University has a professor who that's his life experience.
And you get to pass that on to these students and inspire them with that.
It sounds like you have, experienced perhaps a number of times where you're talking with a student, maybe it happens in the classroom and the light goes off and they see something for the first time that they haven't seen before and That must be enriching and fulfilling for you.
Yeah, definitely.
Praticle for Students
What would students getting involved in these, under resourced communities do for the communities?
So the first thing that comes to my mind is that in the same way that I had the advantage of a college education, of Youth for Christ training, those kinds of things. And I didn't know how, under resourced communities weren't even aware of things like when I talk about a philosophy of youth ministry, those words by themselves, they were like, you have a philosophy of youth ministry.
They were like, okay. So I'm equipping students. with resources and philosophies of ministry, strategies for ministry, how to do it. And so when they get there to wherever God takes them, they will have a wealth of information and resources that a lot of churches don't have and will appreciate it.
Even from a 22 year old kid who just graduated from Taylor university.
Yeah,
to tell them that as a 25 year old, thinking that I have nothing to offer, what, what do I have to offer? And then I realized, Oh my goodness, I have a lot to offer.
Oh, that's really helpful because I think many students graduate with a bachelor's degree and think that, they need further education before they can really make an impact. and you're an example and your life is an example of, um, what you can do right now, um, in your community and what you can bring and And they might, , Yeah, not realize all the training that they've had
can really be put to practical use right
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
What advice question
so Tommy what? Advice or piece of advice or message would you want to share with the student who's? Questioning like what what can I do with my life? I I'm interested in ministry and, and I've got this Dr. Carrington. He's my prof. And what would you, I know you teach them, but what would you, if some, if student is listening to this podcast, what word of advice would you give to them?
So I guess the first thing that comes to mind is the advice that was given to me that I just shared about, you know, don't, don't diminish the, that, that you have, what,
what you have to bring. And so a lot of people, some people are intimidated by the fact that they might not have, uh, a powerful testimony.
Uh, they might not have, , , they might not be able to relate to, , an urban youth or somebody from a different culture, , those kinds of apprehensions, or I'm not good with kids or I'm not good at that, you know? And I would just say, listen, if God has planted it in your heart. And you know, you have a vision for this.
There's a reason why that's there. And so God , can use you. Don't don't write it off just because that's not where you're coming from.
So I give this as an example. I became a Christian at 10. Uh, I did grow up in a third world country, but you know, I have two parents and a good background and became a Christian at 10.
So when I'm in the juvenile detention center in Miami and the guy turns to me and says, our speaker didn't show up. Can you speak? And I'm like, wait, who? He said, you just, he said, our speaker didn't show up, just speak. And I said, no, no, no. They told me it was just to serve Kool Aid and cookies. He said, he said, well, and then he says this, he says, well, just share your testimony.
I said, my testimony, I became a Christian at 10. These kids are in here for murder. I have kids that they just blow up a building. What?
Oh
And so I was scared to death, scared to death. And so, but I shared the gospel. I just shared a simple presentation of the gospel and it incorporated a little bit of my story.
And at the end of it, I have kids coming forward and saying, Oh, Mr. Church man, we want you to pray for us. We need Jesus. And they're crying and they're, I was just blown away. I was like, I got home that day and I said, okay, God, I don't know what you're doing. I don't get it. But thank you.
Yes.
for using me today.
And so and so that's what I would pass on to the next generation of 22 year old. That's unsure. And can God use me? And what do I what do I have to say? Uh, can I relate all of those things that give us apprehension? And I'm just saying, if God plants it in your heart, um, you know, he'll equip you and give you what you need.
And yeah, you go for it.
That's really powerful. Thank you.
Yeah.
A quick question for you, Tommy, your students, many of them are, they're Christian ministry majors. Is that, is that
accurate? Are they mostly looking for, serving opportunities within the U S or are, do they have interests overseas as well?
So, within our department, we also have, they can major in intercultural studies. Which is the old, missions major.
Yeah,
that they now called intercultural studies. So, some of the students, when they, uh, are taking classes that I teach in, in introduction to Christian ministry or personal foundations for ministry, uh, some of them will be ministry majors, some of them will be intercultural studies majors, youth ministry majors.
very much. so I have a fair amount of students that, uh, are, you know, interested in, ministry overseas.
And then,
and then I have students that, like I say, it wasn't on their radar before they took my class. And then they come in here, people like you come and
present in class and, for some of them, it's the first time apart from a missions conference at their church, for some of them, it's their first time being exposed to, oh, wow, yeah, God can use me overseas.
Oh, wow.
That's great.
Well, thank you so much for your time and Dr. Tommy Carrington. It was a joy to have you here to hear your story. We don't often get to hear the personal stories of, you know, some of these professors that we rub shoulders with and interact with. So this is a great opportunity to do that and, um, to hear how God's worked in your life and you in the lives of many others. And it's just, um, yeah, we're really grateful for your time.
Thanks. It was my pleasure. I really enjoyed it.
Real treat, Tommy. Good to see you. I look forward to seeing you next time
Yep. Yep. Same here. Take care.
-
Building a Youth Ministry that Lasts by Mark DeVries
