By Dan Bechtold
Editor
Tony Coffman is getting settled in as the new pastor at Winner Methodist Church.
He started here on Oct. 16 after serving three years at a church in Rugby, N. D. Prior to a stop in North Dakota, he was the pastor of a church in St. Paul, Neb., for four years.
His life was not always in the ministry.
After serving in the Army for six years he went to work in the corporate world. He worked 18 years for Verizon all over the United States. His last job for Verizon was as a regional manager.
He has worked in marketing and advertising since 2002. In fact the first two churches he served he also had full time job.
Winner is the first church where he does not have another job.
While in North Dakota, he was the marketing manager and foundation director for a hospital.
While working in corporate world in the back of his mind was that call to ministry and he tried to avoid it.
“I have always enjoyed my work but it has never been totally satisfying. Finally in 2017, I gave up and walked into ministry full time.”
Before becoming a minister he served as a lay pastor for many years.
He received his master’s degree from Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Ind. He graduated with honor in ministry studies.
He took the course work on-line. He said it was two very hard years to get his degree.
Coffman did not follow the traditional college path of getting an undergraduate degree and then going on for a master’s.
Two years ago he saw an ad on Facebook that the U.S accrediting agency was allowing a few select seminaries to allow people into a graduate program without an undergrad degree.
“I did not tell my wife. I just started the application process,” he said. In May of 2021 he got a letter that he has been accepted into the program.
Early his August, Coffman was talking to the head of pastoral recruiting for the Global Methodist Church.
“After talking to him for a few weeks he asked me if I would be willing to pastor a church in Winner. I looked at what the Global Methodist Church stood for, what they believed in and made a trip to Winner to meet with church representatives,” he said.
The Winner congregation has about 190 in person at Sunday services and another 60-70 watching on line.
“As a group of people in Winner, it is the nicest group of people I have ever pastored. They are caring, very open. Pastoring can be difficult to step into a new church. They have made it easy for my wife and I and have been very kind to us,” said the pastor.
Coffman enjoys serving people. “You get to be the center of focus for people who are hurting, angry or have questions. I love to serve God in this capacity and I love that he has entrusted me the love and care of his people. Originally from Portland, Ore., the minister has had a lot of life experiences. He dropped out of high school his sophomore year. “I did not have a church background and I knew I needed someone to get their hands on me and give me some discipline. I had gotten my GED and went to the Army recruiter and asked how soon I could join. They told me as soon as I got a parental signature,” he explained.
The tour of duty with the Army included stops in Germany and the United States.
When he got out of the Army around age 24 he gave his life to Christ at a small Baptist church in Vancouver, Wash.
Coffman and his wife, Lisa, have two grown children, a 25 year old girl and a 22 year old boy.
When asked what people should know about the new pastor he said: “I am so very thankful to be in this community and to be part of this church. It is very humbling to be allowed to be the shepherd of a group of people who are trying to follow Christ. I do not take that for granted. These are great people and I am honored to get to know them.”
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