Spotlight Ray Jones, Born with Music in His Soul! An Interview with Ray Jones, Pastor of Worship and Music What are your early memories of your town, your family & your church? I was born in Tulia TX but at age 3 months our family moved to Springhill, Louisiana, a town of about 10,000 people. I was born into a family with a strong Christian heritage: my mom, Mildred, was the church organist and Daddy, Raymond Jones, was the director of music and education at the Central Baptist Church. As the youngest of 3 children and the only son, I was listening to church music before I was born. All I knew was life in the church. All my activities centered on the church and all my friends were in the church. Music and worship have always been the very fabric of my life. Who was the most influential person in your life as you were growing up? I would have to say that it was my daddy. We moved to Alexandria, Louisiana when I was in the 3 rd Grade. Daddy was then part of the Louisiana Baptist Convention and he would travel to different churches to help out different pastors who were having some challenges in their congregations. He took me with him. I remember asking Daddy lots and lots of questions about why certain things were happening at the various churches. My daddy would patiently answer my many questions one at a time. Sometimes I witnessed things that were less than Christ-like from those pastors. Daddy never criticized, but he would say, Well, Son, if it were me, I would handle that situation like this Through those answers and all those travels Daddy instructed and mentored me. He was my hero and best friend. Those years of traveling with my dad from church to church were my early seminary. Another significant influence in my life was my granddaddy, my mom s dad he was a preacher. The saying goes, once a preacher, always a preacher. Even later, when he was in a nursing home, he held a weekly Bible study. My granddaddy was full of pearls of wisdom for me as I began my ministry. One in particular stood out to me and became a guiding principle. If you visit a female between the ages of 2 and 92 at her home, always leave your hat on the porch & stay with it.
When did you know you would go into the ministry? I gave my life to Jesus at the age of six. I can remember bringing friends to church with me soon after that and walking with them to the altar so they could give their lives to Jesus, too. At age 14, I felt the call to ministry. I didn t know exactly what that would look like, but I knew I wanted to help people know Jesus. I had been singing all of my life. Singing and evangelizing were so intricately intertwined in my life. It seems natural now that it would be through music that God would show me how to preach the gospel so others would come to know him. I have found that worship opens the spirit and soul to accept the truth of what Jesus did for us. People respond to the invitation to receive Jesus as their Savior after experiencing the Spirit s movement through worship. What have been some of life s biggest challenges for you? I married very young to a girl I had known since Middle School we had David and Jonathan together. When they were just in grade school our marriage was troubled. My wife fell in love with someone else and although there was a great deal of effort put into trying to make the marriage work she decided to leave us and we divorced. I believed I would never marry again so I set out to do the best I could, working as the minister of music and being a full time single parent raising my two sons. Unbeknownst to me the Lord had other plans. One day, while I was singing at the Alamo Plaza, in downtown San Antonio, a young woman from another church came to help sing at that outreach. Andrea could sing like a bird and she was also a United States Air Force pilot. Our paths would cross again on several occasions to minister through music and lead people to the Lord. It slowly dawned on me that God had handpicked this woman with a heart for Jesus to be my wife. This was confirmed to me through one of my mentors. The Lord had already spoken to Andrea, but she was just waiting on me to realize it. One day I called and asked her to marry me. Our passion for ministering the love of the Lord and sharing the salvation message through music was foundational to the love that grew in our hearts for one another.
Our two sons, Benjamin and Christopher have grown up at CBC. They have become part of the next generation of worship leaders along with their older brother David. I have found that the greatest trials of my life have become places where I have seen God teach me the greatest lessons. In fact, God has used those low times to help others because I knew what they might be feeling. People will latch on to hope when they see that you have survived what they are going through. What was it like when you found out you had cancer? I wish I could tell you that I heard that news from my doctor without a flicker of fear and that my faith did not falter, but that simply is not true. I heard that news with that sinking feeling everyone gets. I have been cancer free now for years and I have had that opportunity to share my experience with many people. I minister to them knowing what it feels like to hear those scary words. It also taught me the power of the Body of Christ to comfort, be prayed for and to experience the strength that comes from others loving you when you are in a difficult place. How did you come to be the Community Bible Church Worship Pastor? I came to CBC in 1992. After experiencing a need to take a break from working on a church staff Andrea and I decided to travel and evangelize. The Lord opened the way and we sang at churches throughout the United States. We would come back to San Antonio periodically. A friend of mine invited me to this small church called Community Bible Church. The pastor was Robert Emmitt. After talking to Robert one day I said that we just wanted to be members without any pressure to minister and sing. This church was going to be our place of soaking in the presence of God and refreshing our spirits. Robert understood and respected our need for that.
After about a year, the church was in need of help in the area of worship. Robert asked if I would consider just helping for a 3 month commitment. I agreed. That three month gig turned into over two decades of growing the music and worship ministry. We not only have a vibrant choir ministry for adults, but also choirs for children and teens. In addition, we have an orchestra, several bands and a School of Fine Arts designed to help develop vocalists and musicians as the next generation of worship leaders. One of my heart s desires is to pour into and prepare the young people to come up behind us ready to lead others to the throne of God and experience the power of the Holy Spirit through music. Music and worship is a universal way in which God bypasses the emotional walls we have built up. He is able to speak to us through music in order to heal the brokenness we experience in our lives. As an Evangelist I am motivated with an earnest desire to see people come to Christ. I want to help people draw closer to the Lord and look to Him for their needs. What do you enjoy most about your ministry? Monday through Friday we prepare for what happens on the various stages during the weekend services. When we are able to sing and share the power of the Holy Spirit and usher the congregation into God s presence that is my absolute favorite part of the week. That is what makes all the preparation during the week worth it. Each piece of music is prayed over and selected with care. What is your vision for your ministry & where do you see the ministry in 5 or 10 years? I have three goals that I keep in mind as I envision the ministry for the future 1. Make sure to engage people to worship. 2. Take people with me, go outside the walls of the church building and to evangelize. 3. Train up leaders from the next generation. What would you consider your greatest strengths? Weaknesses? My greatest strength is that I have a pastor s heart and I want to shepherd the people God has brought around me. I also have a strong discerning spirit that helps me to counsel folks as they go through their spiritual journey.
As far as my weaknesses go, God has taught me that I need to have people around me who are really good about administrative details. Those are the things that can just drain me. What is your personal devotional life like and how do you pursue spiritual growth? Obviously, I love to sing to the Lord and I love to study God s Word. I love to take small bite sized pieces of God s Word and study, memorize and meditate. I don t like to study long passages at a time. For me just taking one small section at a time is how I have found it best to capture the heart of God. I learn and grow best through teaching. I love having a Bible study every Sunday morning with my choir and anyone else who would like to come after we finish singing at the 9:00 service. I have been doing this for many years now. I love finding practical applications to God s Word. Even though the text is thousands of years old, the application is fresh. The truth of the Bible is alive and relevant. How would you describe your leadership style? In my years in ministry I have seen 3 different types of leadership styles 1. Autocratic (do what I say and don t ask questions) 2. Fearful (this is the leader that changes his mind the moment someone doesn t like the decision they made) 3. Shepherd (clearly define the direction and lead the way) I try to lead through the Shepherd style. Under that type of leadership people feel genuinely cared for. The shepherd always has to be a good example. How do you deal with challenging people and or situations? What are the most effective ways you have found in handling challenging situations? First, I define the issue. I try to listen to someone s concerns and address them. Second, if it appears to be a personal attack and I know the person attacking does not know me I have learned to just let that go. Third, I will not engage in pettiness I hate that and feel it is a waste of time.
How do you involve others in your ministry? We have hundreds of adults, teens and children in the various choirs, the orchestra and numerous bands that are a part of each service offered here at CBC. I take many with me in outreach opportunities to downtown San Antonio, jails and prisons in several areas & we sing at the annual National Day of Prayer on the steps of City Hall. Wherever God continues to open up doors for us to sing and minister is where I involve others in ministry. How would you utilize a CBC Wise Counsel graduate in your ministry? I have encouraged each one of the pastors on my staff to take Wise Counsel as well as much of the support staff. Some of my volunteers are Wise Counsel trained as well and I love to use them in helping those in the choir. Love Language: Act of Service Spiritual Gifts: Exhortation and Evangelism Personality Style: Effective/Original