Justin Kellough

I have spent all of my adult life serving the local church. Through different seasons of ministry, God has given me opportunities to teach Scripture, preach, lead teams, equip volunteers, develop ministry strategy, communicate the mission of the church, and walk alongside people through ordinary and significant moments of life.

I currently serve at CityRise Church in Houston as the Media Arts Pastor. My years there have deepened my appreciation for the complexity and beauty of the local church: multiple generations worshiping together in three different cultural contexts at our campuses, staff and volunteers pursuing a common mission, people at very different stages of faith, and the constant challenge of communicating an unchanging gospel in a changing culture.

More than any particular ministry role, I increasingly sense a calling toward shepherding a congregation through biblical preaching, pastoral leadership, healthy community, and a shared mission to love our neighbors and make Christ known.

My Call

In high school I spent my summers serving on the staff of a church camp near my home. I spent two months each year life guarding, serving food, and cleaning dorm rooms. My role was to create the safe and clean space for life changing ministry to happen, and I watched hundreds of youth pastors loving and leading teenagers in fun activities and meaningful life change. I did not realize it, but God was showing me what it would be like to be a pastor as I observed youth pastors up close as I cleared tables after meals and launched canoes into the lake. I thought I was going to be a public school teacher, and the summer after I graduated high school, I was back at the church camp. One night, after a 12 hour work day, a few of us decided to join the evening worship service because we heard the band was cool. A few minutes into the sermon, I felt a very clear thought; “I could do that. I could stand in front of a crowd and teach God’s word.” But I immediately dismissed the thought because I had a scholarship lined up to start school in just a couple of months. But God persisted in that moment and told me this is what He wanted. I call that my “brick in the face moment” because it was so sudden and jarring that I could not deny it came straight from God. Over the next couple of days, I did what the Bible teaches us to do: I sought godly counsel (Proverbs 11:14). Each mentor in my life at the time affirmed in me the calling I felt God was sharing with me. I had hoped they would dismiss my encounter with God as some sort of misunderstanding, but they each named qualities in my character and abilities that would be useful in full time ministry. On the last night of that week of camp, I went to the altar to confess and repent of some sin, and then God immediately asked me to surrender to His call to ministry. I wasn’t sure exactly what that call looked like, but I told God whatever He wanted me to do, I would do it.

Equipping to Lead

During my first year of college while pursuing my education degree I got involved in church and formed friendships with the most godly peers I had ever met. I spent my freshman year wrestling with my faith, realizing that much of what I believed had been handed to me. When faced with the diverse world views available to me at a large university, I fought through some doubt and confusion, with my brothers in Christ walking with me the whole way. At the end of my freshman year, I remember sitting down on a bench in the middle of campus at night and telling God, “I believe in You and truly trust Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” My faith had become my own, and I returned to the church camp for one last summer of service. During that summer I sought out any and every testimony of someone’s call to ministry that I could. Youth pastors were coming in each week and instead of just observing, I was asking for a few minutes of their time, requesting to hear their stories of being called to ministry. With each story, my own call felt more secure and clear. I spent a year wrestling with God during my first year of college, and I thought that ministry for me would be summer camp evangelism, allowing me to teach during the school year like I had originally planned. However, as I heard story after story of pastors talking about how special it is to love and lead teenagers in the faith, I knew God wanted me to be a full time student pastor. Returning to school, I connected with a church near my college where my dad’s cousin was serving as a student pastor. He immediately took me under his wing, and gave me real opportunities to lead students. Over the next few years, I learned everything I know about ministry from a man who had, at that time, been serving at the same church for almost 20 years. He changed my life, and set me up for the next phase of ministry.

Falling in Love with Serving

While I pursued a Master of Arts in Youth Ministry through long-distance learning from Howard Payne University, I got my first full time job as a student pastor at First Baptist Church Gonzales, TX. For three years this group of students and their families became so dear to my heart. In the same way Paul shared his life with the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 2:8), I found myself facing the roller coaster of full time ministry each day with joy and purpose. Meeting with students to study the bible one on one, preparing and teaching lessons, creating meaningful events and retreats for spiritual growth, and being there for my flock in the good times and bad times made me fall in love with ministry. Even 15 years later, those students hold a special place in my heart, and I continue to stay connected with them, pray for them, and cheer them on.

A New Season

During my time in Gonzales, I married my wife whom I had met at my college church. After our first year of marriage, we struck out on an adventure and moved to DC to serve at First Baptist Church Woodbridge, VA. It was here that my creativity and innovation in ministry took off as I had a blank slate and a new region of the country to serve. I had to adapt to cultural differences, find new ways to do summer camp, teach a church about how to host a classic Texas D-Now, and began collaborating with the children’s pastor to more holistically shape students in the faith. We created opportunities for high school students to lead children weekly, serve in DC church plants, and go on mission to love and serve those most in need. We adopted the local mobile home park to host student led outreach events monthly, and I saw adult volunteers truly buy into the relational ministry strategy I knew would change lives. It was an incredible season, and the only reason I left was because the arrival of my first child stirred in our hearts the need to be close to family again. After 3.5 years in the DC area, I did not want to leave, but I knew my child needed to see her grandparents more than twice a year. After almost a year of searching, we landed in Houston, TX, which was an easy drive to my wife’s family in Austin.

Changing Directions

After two years serving in student ministry at CityRise, a growing family and an emerging need within our church opened an unexpected new chapter of ministry. In 2019, I transitioned into the role of Media Arts Pastor, overseeing communications, media, and live production. What initially felt like a significant change in direction became an important part of God's preparation in my life, giving me opportunities to lead staff, collaborate across ministries and campuses, think strategically about the whole church, and help communicate its mission to both our congregation and our community.

What’s Next

In recent years, God has renewed in me a desire for broader pastoral leadership—preaching God's Word, discipling people, developing leaders, shepherding a congregation, and helping a church pursue its mission together. That growing sense of call led me back to school, where I am currently pursuing my Master of Divinity at Truett Seminary.

I am grateful for the many different ministry experiences God has given me over the past seventeen years. Student ministry taught me to disciple and shepherd people. Communications ministry has taught me to lead teams, think strategically, collaborate across a complex organization, and communicate clearly in a changing culture. Through all of it, God has continued preparing me for whatever opportunity to serve His church comes next.