Jay Williams

Dean of students, Assistant professor of Applied Theology

Jay grew up in Ankeny, Iowa. He came to know the saving grace of God in Christ during the summer of 1989 at church camp. After high school graduation, he enrolled at Cornell College. At Cornell, he met his wife, Lauren, and they were married in July, 2002. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Education and Psychology in 2000.

After graduating from college, Jay served as a youth minister at two churches in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for 4 years where he regularly discipled students and equipped other youth leaders for ministry. In 2003, he moved with his family to Orange County, California to intern at Saddleback Community Church, one of the fastest growing churches in America, where he wrote for Purpose Driven ministries, worked in the youth ministry, and completed a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Gateway Seminary. From California, Jay moved to Colorado to plant Church Next Door, a missional community church model, where he trained missional leaders and pastored for nine years. Since 2015, Jay has been the lead pastor of Faith Church in Peshtigo, Wisconsin.

Jay has spoken at camps, retreats, and seminary classes all across the country. Additionally, he has consulted with several churches on catalyzing missional movements and coached several church planters and pastors. At Tennent, Jay is an Assistant Professor of Applied Theology and oversees student recruitment. Jay is the thankful husband to a very patient wife, dad to three wonderful children, and in his free time loves coaching sports and cheering on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Jay’s passion in ministry is to equip and send out people to live as missionaries in their neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities.