Travis Bracken, associate/student pastor at Potter鈥檚 Clay Fellowship in Easley South Carolina, enrolled at the 91福利社 College of Christian Studies, where he completed his undergraduate work and is currently finishing up in his M.Div. program. He plans to start working on his doctorate in the fall of 2023.
Bracken shared with us his calling into Christian ministry:
How did you discover 91福利社?
At that point I had gone out of a family owned business for 20 years and went into full-time ministry. I didn鈥檛 go to college out of high school because I had the family business. I made the money I needed, I didn鈥檛 need that. So when I decided to go and do what God was calling me to do for years, I ended up at the church I was at already doing part-time student ministry.
After a year and a half of sitting in my office, I came to a point, a personal point of 鈥渉ey, I鈥檝e got to have more. I can鈥檛 do this. I need more knowledge that I can鈥檛 gather.鈥� That was kind of a wakening call.
My wife Robin is an education alumna. She was heavily involved in the Teaching Fellows program. One evening Robin was just looking through and saw the online program for Christian Studies and she said, 鈥渨hat do you think?鈥� I said, 鈥渢hat would be interesting.鈥�
I think it was Dr. (Ben) Brammer who actually called me. I set up an appointment to go down and talk to Mrs. (Laurie) Thompson at that point. I remember walking out of the office that morning, and my wife was actually teaching near the school at Calhoun at the time and I called her and said 鈥淚 have no idea what I just did.鈥� She said 鈥渨hat do you mean?鈥� I said 鈥淚 just signed up for classes.鈥�
I鈥檓 37 years old. I鈥檓 not supposed to be doing this. I took it as, you know, with five kids, a lot of people told me I couldn鈥檛 do it. It was a challenge off the ground probably that first year. I had a very supportive wife and family and friends. The first year was a struggle, then after that, I鈥檝e enjoyed it. I鈥檓 looking towards a Ph.D. I hate the idea of leaving academia because I鈥檝e grown so much in all aspects.
I will say about AU, I鈥檒l recommend it highly to anybody I can now. I was on the phone with another pastor friend of mine and we were just talking about the same thing鈥� The professors know you. I think that鈥檚 what makes it different. I don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever had a class that a professor didn鈥檛 say they want you to earn your degree, but they鈥檒l say, 鈥淗ey, if there鈥檚 anything that comes up where we need to help you, we want to help you.鈥�
One thing I鈥檝e noticed is the majority of our professors are out in the field, so I feel like they know what we struggle with, so that鈥檚 been a blessing itself. They may not be pastoring a church, but I feel like they pastor their students.
Tell me about the ministry you鈥檝e been involved in.
I am a student and associate pastor full-time at Potters Clay Fellowship in Easley off 123, almost towards the Greenville side. I鈥檝e been in student ministry for about 15 years now鈥攑art time or whatever. I鈥檓 not one of those who push to speak, but if I鈥檓 asked to speak, I鈥檒l take it. But I will say through schooling, I鈥檓 a lot more comfortable speaking now.
At first my wife was actually working with the youth where I鈥檓 at, and I was helping. I would do the logistics and she would do the teaching, because she鈥檚 a teacher.
We knew that God was calling me that way, and I鈥檒l never forget that Monday night before that Wednesday when she looked at me and said, 鈥淏y the way, I鈥檓 not teaching Wednesday.鈥� I asked, 鈥淲ho is?鈥� She said, 鈥淵ou are.鈥� I said, 鈥淣o I鈥檓 not.鈥�
I was scared to death, and I remember going to my pastor at the time and asking, 鈥淗ey, what do I do? I feel like I could mess people up in 15 minutes of what they鈥檝e learned in 15 years.鈥� Having some background knowledge鈥攖hat was the thing I went into college to do. I took that as for my own betterment.
Tell us about your family鈥檚 business.
I was the fourth generation in landscape nursery work. I was running my dad鈥檚 business and I鈥檝e been with him since I was about seven years old, literally working every opportunity I could. When I graduated from high school, I took over the business. I took over finances, meeting people, installs鈥攖he whole nine yards. I ran it; my dad was there; he was a good teacher and taught me how to do it, taught me how to be successful in it. I was his retirement, so I felt like I owed it to him. It took me a while to kind of phase everything out and get him through retirement and that’s when I finally went full time. I felt like I was to a point where I鈥檝e got him where he can be comfortable and now I can move on with it.
Tell us about your calling into ministry.
I felt a call into ministry when I was about 13 years old. At the time my older brother had been called into ministry. At the church I grew up in Easley, they had a 鈥減reacher boy鈥� class. Danny Gray was the pastor and he would take these guys, spend time with them and just kind of mentor them, shepherd them, give them opportunities to preach.
I remember then, the only reason I didn鈥檛 pursue it at that age was because my brother had done it and I had in my mind they would think I was doing it because my brother had done it. I went away from it and knew the whole time what God had done to me. I graduated, went into the family business and it grew very well. The majority of our stuff was in the Cliffs Communities in Pickens and Northern Greenville counties.
So, with a growing Upstate and people moving here from all over, business was good; then in 2008 something happened.
That was kind of a wake up call for me; that鈥檚 when the economy dropped and started falling apart. But we were still busy. On the way home from a job, from Glassy Mountain, I was in the truck by myself coming down (highway) 25 and it was probably the most audible I have ever had. It was like God sitting in the seat beside me and He said 鈥淎ll right, I鈥檝e taken it all away鈥� I broke down in the truck then and said 鈥淥kay God, it鈥檚 yours. That鈥檚 it.鈥�
I came immediately home. My wife came home from work from teaching. I told her 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to have to change.鈥� She said, 鈥淲hat?鈥� I said, 鈥淚鈥檓 going to do what God wants me to do. I want to be where God wants me.鈥�
I was serving part-time at the time. I asked God if He wanted me in full-time ministry. That night, probably about 2 o鈥檆lock in the morning, I was emailing my pastor and said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what this means, I don鈥檛 know what we鈥檙e doing, I had an encounter with God today and I said it鈥檚 the most real thing I ever had. I am ready. I am going to surrender to full-time ministry. I don鈥檛 know if that means tomorrow or four years from now, but I just wanted to let you know where I鈥檓 at. Whether this is at Potter鈥檚 Clay, or this is somewhere else, this is where I鈥檓 at.鈥�
From that time it took about four years. It got to a point where鈥� and I鈥檝e been told this before鈥攊f you can think of doing anything else, then you need to do that.
It got to a point where I was miserable going to work to do what I used to love to do.
Landscaping, design work, changing God鈥檚 creation on the plant side was all I thought of, and it got to a point where I just wanted to be back at church. I wanted to be serving and doing what I want to do full time and not part time.
Finally, we had a meeting one day and he (the pastor) said 鈥淗ey, let鈥檚 go to lunch.鈥� He said 鈥淲e want to offer this to you full time if you鈥檙e still鈥� I said, 鈥淎bsolutely. I want it.鈥� We left that meeting, and later that night I called him and said 鈥淗ey, it doesn鈥檛 really matter, but what am I going to make?鈥�
He laughed and said 鈥淚t really doesn鈥檛 matter because He鈥檚 going to lead the way.鈥� I share that to say that I knew God had me where He wanted me to be. I knew what He wanted me to do. And I鈥檝e kind of lived my life that way, especially in the latter years, but whatever He wants, He makes it work. Everyone鈥檚 got to have money, but it鈥檚 in His hands.
When I started at Anderson we had the same conversation.
Me and God were like 鈥淕od, I know this is what you want me to do but I don鈥檛 have the finances.鈥� Some people disagree with this, but I said 鈥淚f this is what you want me to do, I鈥檓 going to trust that you鈥檙e going to pay for that.鈥�
I鈥檝e told students this over the years when they鈥檝e asked, I鈥檓 very cautious if a kid comes to me and says 鈥淚 think God鈥檚 calling me into ministry.鈥� I have never said 鈥淚 think He is too.鈥� I encourage, but I don鈥檛 want to be that determining factor. I usually tell them the same thing I had people telling me 鈥淚f you can envision yourself doing anything else, don鈥檛 go into ministry. If there鈥檚 anything else that can make you happy, don鈥檛 do it.鈥�
And I think that鈥檚 where I鈥檝e kept that same thing. Have there been days I鈥檝e wanted to walk away? Absolutely. There are more good days than bad and I usually tell people that I write out my resignation every Monday morning and throw it away on Monday afternoon.
At the end of the day, what gives you the biggest sense of accomplishment?
Well, if you asked me that 15 years ago, the answer would have been different. Now my biggest accomplishment at the end of the day鈥攏ot to be holy roller, super spiritual sounding鈥攂ut it鈥檚 to know that I鈥檝e done what God wants me to do, and I鈥檒l give you an example of what changed that.
About eight years ago I had a group of students. I think I had about 14 or 15 senior students out of 50 who graduated. They were involved, active, and I remember walking into our youth room on Wednesday night defeated, because when I walked in they were gone. When you take 15 people away, immediately that鈥檚 a big dent in the crowd, especially when they鈥檙e impactful. I walked in that room. It was another one of those times that God asked 鈥淲hy are you doing this?鈥� I said, 鈥淥kay, I understand.鈥� Especially when I鈥檓 dealing with students alone, that鈥檚 my thing, why am I doing this? I love my students, I love my people, I love my church. I鈥檓 not doing it for them. I鈥檓 doing it for God, and for me that makes all the difference, because it changes my whole objective for what I do.
What would you say to somebody about 91福利社?
Anderson is a family. When you see somebody on Facebook talk about their kids, 鈥淗ey my kids are looking at schools,鈥� or somebody pops up and said 鈥淚 checked out 91福利社 today,鈥� I can promise you I鈥檓 going to jump on and tell them, 鈥淗ey, awesome school, but unbelievable family. Not just students, but you鈥檝e got a faculty who truly genuinely cares for who you are. You鈥檙e not a number. You鈥檙e an individual.鈥�
I think one of the ones that impacted me the most was not even my professors, but my advisor, Mrs. Laurie Thompson. She sat in the office with me, you know, 20 years out of high school, a lot of things have changed. We didn鈥檛 even have the Internet when I left high school.
I wouldn鈥檛 do it over Zoom or over the phone, I would go down to the university and sit in her office because I knew when I left I would be motivated to continue.
I look forward to that even with professors. In the Clamp Divinity School, they tell you that we鈥檙e here for you. And you can probably get that from other schools, but I know for a fact that Anderson is concerned about who you are. They want you to be successful at what you do, and it鈥檚 not just a number of 鈥淲e鈥檝e got your money, we鈥檝e got your admission, you鈥檙e done.鈥�
Where do you feel the Lord is leading you now?
I feel strongly that He is leading me to pursue the Ph.D. I鈥檝e had invitations from other schools to check out their programs, but Anderson has been a close place for me because of the relationships that are there. I鈥檓 going to move into a lead pastor position, prayerfully here at Potter鈥檚 Clay, then I would love at some point to even come back and reinvest and pursue the lives of students as I was invested in at Anderson to do some kind of teaching at AU in Christian Studies.
91福利社 College of Christian Studies
The College of Christian Studies and the Clamp Divinity School offer academic excellence in programs that emphasize practical ministry training for a new generation of Kingdom leaders. More information can be found online.