To download a printable, text only
version of this résumé click here: resume.txt.

Dennis L. Crawford
500 Slaydon St.
Henderson, Texas 75654
Phone: 903.655.2491
E-mail: dacrawford00@.ev1.net

Qualifications     Ministry Accomplishments     Experience     Most Precious Asset     Education
References     Philosophy of Ministry, Preaching and Teaching     What I've been Reading Lately

• Has gained 27 years experience in effective pulpit ministry with five congregations
• He and his wife, Anna, have raised three children who love God and who are faithful to Christ and His Church.
• Has worked in every phase of ministry: preaching, teaching, evangelizing and benevolence. He is known by those who have worked with him to be a patient sower of seeds in teaching and preaching.
• Is versatile and creative in teaching and preaching and reads widely in order to grow as a Christian, preacher and teacher
• Has extensive experience in counseling
• Relates well to people of every social and economic background and is known to be a peacemaker and consensus builder in interpersonal relationships
• Has worked as a team player with shepherds and staff in the congregations he has served

• Dennis is a volunteer Deputy Sheriff who acts as a Police chaplain to over 125 law officers and their families. Chaplains also perform victim's services.

  Is currently working as a Police Chaplain with the law enforcement officers in Crittenden County, Arkansas, and their families. This involves 125 officers and their families. Chaplains also do victim's services. MORE...
• Was named Preston Road Center for Christian Education's "Alumnus of the Year" in 1992. MORE...
• Has published over 100 articles in various Christian publications (Wineskins, Image Magazine, UpReach, 21st Century Christian and The Christian Chronicle, among others). MORE...
• Writes feature articles for Heartlight.org, a magazine published online. (Go to www.heartlight.org and search for "Crawford") MORE...
• Taught three classes at the 1995 Annual Lectures at Pepperdine University, Malibu, California (Ministering to the Families of Persons with Alzheimer's and Ministering to Persons with AIDS). MORE...
• Taught classes at the 1993 & 1994 Annual Lectures of Abilene Christian University, in Abilene, Texas (Ministering in Times of Crisis). In 1994, taught a class to minister interns at the Institute for Christian Studies in Austin, Texas (The Ministry of Helping). MORE...
• Taught two classes on The Restoration Forum in 1999, in Calgary, Canada (Praying for Unity). MORE...
• Wrote music for, performed and recorded with the contemporary Christian a cappella group, Arise. The music Arise sings is designed to encourage young Christians in their walk with God, and to introduce non-believers to the Gospel in a relevant way. (1988 to 1998) MORE... MORE...
• The churches he has served have grown spiritually and in numbers.

• Much of the time, Dennis preaches and writes to the younger group—but he reaches out and works well with the older folks, too.

  Has encouraged the ordaining of additional elders and deacons in the churches he has served.
• While preaching for the Hyde Park church in Austin, he encouraged a "church planting" in Pflugerville, Texas (with a group of Christians from the Hyde Park congregation). Pflugerville is a suburb of Austin.
• Writes a regular column for True Believer, a national, trans-denominational Christian arts, entertainment and lifestyle magazine aimed at Christians, ages 25-35. MORE...

August 2000 to present
Sabbatical for spiritual refreshment
The Woodlands, Texas

• Operating Crawford's New Traditions, a business which makes custom period furniture

August 1998 to August 2000
Pulpit minister - Missouri Street Church of Christ
1600 North Missouri Street, West Memphis, Arkansas 72301
650 members

• Preached at least 90 sermons and taught approximately 100 classes per year
• Encouraged the appointment of 20 additional deacons
• Established a ministry system to help the church serve more effectively
• Encouraged the startup of Wonder City Ministry, an inner city ministry with one full time minister, one intern and 25 volunteers from the Missouri Street Church

October 1985 to August 1998
Pulpit Minister - Church of Christ in Hyde Park
(formerly Northside Church of Christ)
P.O. Box 4011, Austin, Texas 78765-4011
250 members to 400 members

• Yes, Jesus Christ could be stern. He could make a whip from ropes and drive moneychangers and their animals out of the temple. But he came down—not to condemn the world—but to save the world. For the most part, Dennis preaches Jesus in such a way that you would actually like to go fishing with him.

  Preached at least 90 sermons and taught over 100 classes each year to the congregation. Designed sermons and classes to encourage and give practical help to Christians so that they might grow in their faith and love toward Jesus Christ and to encourage them to use their particular talents and gifts to glorify God and reach out to others.
• Encouraged "church planting" in Pflugerville, Texas in 1994, 70 members of the Church in Hyde Park assisted in forming and began to worship with this new congregation. That church is now thriving and is on its own. Pflugerville is a suburb of Austin, Texas.
• Encouraged and helped the church to set up a food pantry in 1991 to help the homeless and needy in Austin. Constantly encouraged the church to reach out to the needy, clothe the less fortunate and feed the hungry.
• Assisted in setting up and carrying out a ministry to help ex-offenders who were newly released from the Texas Department of Correction facilities. Eleven ex-offenders were helped to get a new start by the Hyde Park Church.
• Supervised and helped train two youth minister interns in the practical aspects, challenges and pitfalls of youth ministry
• Co-produced, and worked as a member of the cast, in Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. This musical was presented ten times during a two-year period in churches in South Central Texas. 90 per cent of the cast were members of the Hyde Park congregation. This promoted fellowship within the congregation and an interest in Bible study in non-believers who attended the presentations (1992 - 1993).
• Wrote the music and lyrics for three songs in, If You're Blind Enough, a three act musical taken from the Bible text, John 9—the account of Jesus' healing of the man born blind. This musical was first performed in October 1997 and has been shown in various venues in Central Texas.
• Taught and baptized over 80 people into Christ
• Encouraged the appointing of several additional Elders and Deacons

April 1979 to July 1984
Pulpit Minister - Bentonville Church of Christ
Highway 71 North, Bentonville, Arkansas
450 Members

• Additional Elders and Deacons chosen
• Added Educational Minister to staff

Wife: Anna Crawford
Married 34 years

• Faithful wife, effective, invaluable teammate in ministry, good mother, grandmother, homemaker and hospitable to all
• While in Austin, Texas, Anna worked closely with Central Texas Children's Home to raise funds, provide foster care and to assist in every way possible.
• Has taught at several Christian Ladies Retreats
• Taught ministers' wives class at the Preston Road Center for Christian Education Lectures
• Has been very active with the benevolent works in every congregation she has served
• Has often opened her home as a refuge for abused wives or displaced families
• More about Anna...

• Graduated, January 1974, from the Preston Road Center for Christian Education, in Dallas, Texas, as leader of his senior class, with over 100 semester hours of Bible-related classes.
• Has received certificates for attending over 10 seminars at the Institute for Christian Studies in Austin, Texas. In these seminars he as sharpened his skills in Biblical interpretation, sermon preparation, sermon delivery and developing the preacher's spiritual life.
• Has attended 6 annual Christian Education Conferences where he received training in—among other topics—developmental psychology, the nature of learning, the adult as learner and adult Bible class curriculum planning.

Ron Carlson, Pulpit Minister Duncanville Church of Christ P.O. Box 382000 Duncanville, TX 75138 (972) 298-4656 Jerry Chappel, Elder Missouri St. Church of Christ 303 Geeland Marion, AR 72364 (870) 739-1628 Byron Fullerton former Dean of Law School, Texas Tech University 3970 Far West Blvd. Austin, TX 78731 (512) 467-0157 Office Gaston Welborn, Attorney Abilene Christian University 1150 South Leggett Ave. Abilene, TX 79605 (915) 674-2485 Office Eddie Creighton Owner, Creighton Ford Co. P.O. Box 268 Melbourne, AR 72556 (501) 368-4219 Office Jerry Jones 409 Katy Lane St. Charles, MO 63303 (314) 936-1076

James Holt, Elder Missouri St. Church of Christ 904 West Barton West Memphis, AR 72301 (870) 735-9211 Ted Scarborough , Elder Church of Christ in Hyde Park 4308 Malaga Austin, TX 78759 (512) 345-5708 Charles Hodge 711 Villa Creek Duncanville, TX 75137 (972) 298-6712 William Spurlock, Elder Bentonville Church of Christ 311 Huffman Bentonville, AR 72712 (501) 273-3863 Home Lynn Anderson Hope Network Ministries 5343 Ridgedale Drive Dallas, TX 75206 (214) 874-0857 Office Joe Beam, Founder/Pres. Family Dynamics Institute P.O. Box 211668 Augusta, GA 30917 (706) 667-6674 Office

The Scripture reference that shapes my ministry is Col. 1:28
     "We proclaim him,
              admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
                       so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ."

• The church and individual Christians grow only when blessed by God. Therefore, prayer must be an integral part of the ministry of the shepherds, the ministers and the pew.
• Worship is job one for the church. Better worship comes from better worshipers. But on the other hand, effective worship draws worshipers closer to God. Worship must not be stuck in the '50's—or even the '90's. I would enjoy working with elders and worship leaders who want to facilitate measured, gradual changes to make our worship more effective.
• I didn't surrender my life to Christ until I was 24 years old. Before that time I was into every sin imaginable. I have seen the grace of God from two perspectives. I saw his grace the first time when I realized that God could love even me with all my sin. Now I see the grace of God when he accepts others who—like me—do not deserve his love and acceptance. Have I arrived? Oh, no. As a person under construction I need God's grace everyday. I'm not what I want to be at this time, but thank God I'm not what I was.
• It is my desire to preach and teach so that we may see ourselves as we really are—sinful and needy—and to see Christ and his cross as the only route to real life.
• My first priority is preaching and teaching. I need the time and privacy to study, read, prepare and pray about sermons and classes. I want to preach so that through the word, God will equip the congregation with which I work to serve and live lives that glorify Him.

• I believe preaching should be a joy for both preacher and listener. The Gospel should be presented as Good News. The cross is beautiful!

  For the church to thrive, a healthy spiritual life must be developed. Preaching and teaching should encourage and facilitate spiritual growth. I encourage Christians to have a devotional time each day. I encourage the use of spiritual journals. Journaling has helped me tremendously.
• Preaching and teaching must connect with real life and must be relevant to today's world. The Gospel and the Scriptures never change—the world and our culture is ever changing. Preaching must be fresh and present the old Gospel in new ways. On the whole, I believe that Gospel preaching should be a joy for both preacher and listener. The Gospel should be presented as good news.
• Though the cross is often offensive to people of the world, it is beautiful to those who seek real life. My preaching should be attractive and understandable to those outside of Christ ("seekers"). The church's worship assemblies should be attractive to non-Christians as well. In preaching Christ, I use PowerPoint^® presentations extensively.
• I am most comfortable with Christians and churches that are continuing their spiritual and mental growth and where honest differences of opinion are allowed and discussed.
• I prefer to work with congregations and shepherds who have a bias toward long preacher/church relationships.
• I understand that preachers and shepherds are on the same team and I do my best to be a team player and a partner in ministry.

Worship Evangelism, Sally Morgenthaler

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, Jim Cymbala

Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down, Marva Dawn

Christ-Centered Preaching, Bryan Chapell

Come Let Us Adore Him, Dan Dozier

Redeeming the Routines, Bringing Theology to Life, Robert Banks

Spiritual Literacy, Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Six Weeks to a Simpler Lifestyle, Sorensen and Sorensen

Qualifications     Ministry Accomplishments     Experience     Most Precious Asset     Education
References     Philosophy of Ministry, Preaching and Teaching     What I've been Reading Lately

To download a printable, text only
version of this résumé click here: resume.txt.