So who am I? In the world of worship, I’m really not anyone important. I don’t have a famous name and I’m not the worship pastor of a mega-church. What I am is a fellow disciple of Jesus trying to be faithful to the task to which God has called me — being a Pastor who serves and specializes in the area of worship and music.
To that end, I’m always thinking, always learning more about those two topics. A great deal of my thoughts come from discussions with my wife and son, both of whom are smarter than I. They make me think by challenging my presuppositions and by introducing topics outside of my usual interests into my thoughts about worship.
If you’re looking for the typical biographical information, here’s my official bio from my church:
A native of Ohio, Chris attended the University of Richmond and received a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership Studies, a specialized multidisciplinary Business Degree focused on nonprofit organizations. He met his wife, Kristel, while attending Richmond. Following college, Chris studied for the MDiv. in Church Music at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition, Chris has an MA in Worship Studies from Liberty University and is studying for his Doctorate at the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.
Chris has responsibility at First Baptist for all of the music and worship ministries of the church including all age-graded vocal choirs, age-graded bell choirs, Adult Choir, orchestra, and ensemble groups. In addition to his responsibilities at First Baptist, Chris is the current Vice-President/President-Elect of the Tennessee Baptist Church Music Conference and regularly sings with the Tennessee Men’s Chorale.
Chris and his wife, Dr. Kristel Headley, have one son, Micah, who is 15 and a two year old daughter, Ellie. Kristel is a professor at Johnson University, teaching Counselor Education and Supervision. As a family, the Headleys enjoy traveling (when they’re not completely consumed with schoolwork), music and the arts, sports, and just being together.