It is a great honor to work with Pastor Justin Holcomb and see him lead The Resurgence. But I realize that most people do not know him like I do, so I thought I would introduce you to my friend. Justin is a pastor at Mars Hill Church and director of The Resurgence. He is married to Lindsey and they have two little girls.

Justin has served in ministry for nearly two decades as a pastor, university campus minister, youth pastor, and administrative assistant. He has worked in numerous types of churches before coming to Mars Hill, including Assemblies of God, Calvary Chapel, Presbyterian, and Episcopalian.

Head

Justin holds two master’s degrees from Reformed Theological Seminary as well as a PhD from Emory University. He is also an adjunct professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and visiting professor at Western Seminary. Justin has taught at RTS since 2000. The academic dean of RTS has said: “Justin has always been greatly appreciated by faculty, staff, and students at Reformed Theological Seminary. His academic rigor, classroom style, and pastoral orientation make him a favorite among our adjunct faculty.”

Justin has also taught at the University of Virginia and Emory University. While at the University of Virginia, he won some of the top awards for teaching: Z Society Distinguished Faculty of the Year Award, Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society Award, and Outstanding Faculty Member.

Justin and his wife, Lindsey, wrote Rid of My Disgrace, a Re:Lit book on gospel hope and healing for sexual assault victims. His edited volume, Christian Theologies of Scripture, explores various doctrines of Scripture throughout the Christian tradition. Justin has also written on death and dying in America, the importance of covenants in Reformed theology, and “faith” in pop culture.

Hands

Since 2001, Justin has traveled annually to southern Sudan to teach chaplains in the Sudan People's Liberation Army. These trips frequently entail teaching the Bible with AK-47s firing in the background, seeing bodies that have been hog-tied and hacked with machetes by terrorists, and praying with moms and dads whose babies died from diarrhea and malaria because there are not enough nets and clean water.

Justin and Lindsey founded and direct Mosaic, a non-profit organization that serves people in Sudan and Uganda. It gives thousands of mosquito nets away each year, offers literacy and tailoring training to hundreds of women, started a home for girls whose families sold them for sex, and supports pastors in the region.

Justin and Lindsey also helped start Rest, a ministry out of Mars Hill Church’s Downtown Seattle Campus to women and girls working in prostitution. Seattle is on one of the top cities in the United States for underage prostitution.

Heart

What I like most about Justin, though, is his love for Jesus, humility, and deep joy in serving others. For a few years before coming on staff at Mars Hill, he humbly and graciously served as my research assistant remotely.

Since coming on staff, he has literally served every one of the more than forty pastors in our church with research, teaching, and pastoral wisdom. He does it all while smiling, being genuinely happy, and talking a lot about his wife and daughters, as he adores his family. If you want to see him get passionate, ask him about abuse victims, the hurting, and those who need justice and healing from Jesus. Simply, his head is as big as his heart.

Because The Resurgence exists to equip Christian leaders for mission, I am thankful that God brought us just the right fit in Justin to lead us. Please pray for him and his family, introduce yourself to him at events, and join me in celebrating God’s gift to us in the Holcombs. 

Follow Justin on Facebook and Twitter. Read his previous posts on The Resurgence.