At this point in my life, I had decided to pursue entering the Christian ministry as a pastor. At first I considered Calvary Chapel Bible College but eventually concluded that an accreditted institution was the more wise course (interestingly, if I believed then what I believe now, I would most likely have gone to CCBC, but also would probably not be reformed, so glory to God! He knows what He is doing!).
In 2003 I enrolled at Trinity College of Florida to try to attain a degree in pastoral ministry. The three semesters I spent there were up and down to say the least! I did a tremendous amount of growth there (not to mention meeting a great woman to whom I am now married), but unfortunately, a lot of immaturity was exposed as well. I wish I could say I wasn't a typical 19-20 year old guy but I was every bit of it and then some.
During my first semester there I roomed with a couple of guys in an apartment complex that the college rented out for some of their students. One of the guys in the complex was the very first reformed charismatic that I ever met! His name was Jerry and he was about a year ahead of me and hung out with the reformed crowd. Over several conversations and me reading some books (some good and not so good) I finally came to embrace the doctrines of grace in all their fullness!
During this time there wasn't really a Calvary Chapel in the area so I went to Jerry's church which was non-denominational and co-pastored by the college's dean of students (also a reformed, continuationist, historic premill guy). I kind of fell out of Calvary and enjoyed fellowshipping with these folks.
During the summer between my second and third semesters, I did some research about the end-times. At this point I was starting to question the pre-trib rapture view I had been taught all my life. Eventually I became convinced of the post-trib view. Later I abandoned the entire dispensational system altogether. Interestingly, all of this occured while attending a college loosely affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance that definetely had a dispensational bent. Not exactly a breeding ground for calvinistic, post-tribulational, continuationists.
During that same summer, I went back to Calvary but my new found convictions regarding God's sovereignty, and the end-times would have made it impossible for me to enter the ministry with them led to my leaving there.
Given my beliefs about the miraculous gifts, I decided to find a Vineyard church in Tampa. I did find one and went a few times. I liked it. The pastor was also a reformed guy and the music was good, but my eventual wife was going to a more traditional reformed church and I wanted to be with her where she was going so I left and started going to her church.
Well this is getting long so I'll continue again in my next post detailing how I returned to the Vineyard.
-Christian
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