“I’m a young man in ministry who is very grateful for the cooperation of South Carolina Baptists for the sake of the Gospel,” Jonah Sims said.

A Greenwood, SC, native, Sims’ call to ministry began as a student at SummerSalt. “I was 13 years old, and I had just met Jesus the year before, and there was a very clear call to ministry that the Holy Spirit set on my heart,” he said.

Answering the Call

Sims acknowledged both a miraculous side to his calling and a practical side, saying that the Lord put people in his life to disciple him and encourage him in his natural giftings. Before fully accepting the call to vocational ministry, Sims thought he would volunteer at a church with his giftings. “I didn’t realize that I was taking my priorities and forcing God’s plan for my life into the cookie-cutter shape of my earthly passions,” Sims said. “In reality, God was calling me to do so much more.”

As he continued to seek clarity about his calling, he decided to attend Anderson University (AU), where he pursued a major in Christian Studies with a concentration in theology, philosophy, and preaching. “I just got practical steps and opportunities to do ministry, and I’ve never looked back,” Sims said. 

A Biblical Foundation

At AU, Sims found an environment where faith and education were seamlessly integrated. “The staff that works at Anderson all call on the name of Jesus, and all agree on a shared statement of faith,” Sims said. He shared that this led to an emphasis on adhering to Scripture and seeking to bring glory to the Lord in their studies.

“I’ve been grateful during my four years at Anderson to receive that type of education where there’s a group of people who have come together for a purpose that is bigger than themselves,” Sims said. The university not only provided academic knowledge but also gave Jonah a space to grow spiritually and serve in meaningful ways.

Practical Training in Ministry

While at AU, Sims also served for three summers at SummerSalt and KidSalt, held on the campus of Charleston Southern University. “I met the Lord at SummerSalt, answered a call to ministry at SummerSalt, and now the Lord continues to use this ministry as a key part in my life,” Sims said. 

Attending SummerSalt as a student, the camp continued to grow in his walk with the Lord. He felt the Lord calling him to apply to be a staffer so that he could share the Gospel and disciple students the way he had been discipled. “Every summer at SummerSalt, I’ve gotten to go and teach students and just pour into the lives of students,” Sims said. 

These hands-on experiences taught him the realities of ministry work and strengthened his commitment to serving others. “SummerSalt has done so much to prepare me for ministry,” Sims said.

A Grateful Heart

Sims’ experiences through Anderson University and SummerSalt have instilled in him a deep sense of gratitude for the cooperative efforts that make such opportunities possible. As he looks forward to his future in ministry, he remains thankful for the solid foundation laid by his education and practical experiences. 

“I am very grateful for what the Lord has done in this state and what he continues to do through cooperation,” Sims said. “I hope everybody wants to be a part.”