At Christianity Today, we love pastors. Church ministry is at the core of our mission, and a few of our publications—including Leadership Journal, BuildingChurchLeaders.com, PreachingToday.com—focus on equipping those in full-time church ministry roles. As a nonprofit ministry, Christianity Today is a form of ministry for those who work here, but many CT employees also serve in their local churches. We even have a few former (and current!) pastors in our midst. These are men and women who have seen their call to ministry change to include serving those working in the local church.

Matt Woodley, Managing Editor of Preaching Today, came to Christianity Today after 20 years in full-time ministry at churches in Minnesota and Long Island. He used and even wrote for PreachingToday.com as a pastor, and now uses his ministry experiences to make the site the best possible resource for those in preaching and teaching roles. "I love preaching and I did it almost every Sunday for over 20 years," he says, "but these days I'm even more excited about encouraging and mentoring other preachers in their ministry. I'm especially motivated to see pastors offer sermons that are biblically sound, culturally engaging, applicable, and well-illustrated. I have an amazing confidence in God's ability to work in such a 'foolish' way, changing lives through ordinary people giving ordinary messages that are based on God's Word. I'm not sure how it works, but I really do think the preached Word changes hearts and minds."

And in addition to his role in building up preachers through PreachingToday.com, he also serves as a part-time Pastor of Compassion Ministries at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, where his primary focus is to help equip people in the church to build meaningful relationships with the poor and marginalized in the local community.

After four years as youth pastor at Madison Park Church of God in Anderson, Indiana, Nick Tanner came to Christianity Today and now is in marketing for Leadership Journal and BuildingChurchLeaders.com. His experience on a pastoral staff helps him reach this audience with publications that are directly geared toward equipping them to do their jobs. "I understand the church culture that takes place throughout the entire week and not just on Sundays. I have an understanding for what pastors deal with, are going through, their struggles, and how hard their job really is."

Amy Jackson served for four years on the pastoral staff of The Aurora Advent Christian Church (Aurora, IL) as Coordinator of Small Groups and Community Ministry. While working on her master's in Christian Formation and Ministry from Wheaton College, she happened upon an internship at Christianity Today and found the work to be a perfect fit for her personality, gifts, and passions, just as she knew her time at the church was ending. Her experience informs her work now as Managing Editor of SmallGroups.com: "Today as I plan our calendar, I think about what I would have needed when I was in career ministry. I think back on the kinds of resources I wanted, the questions I needed answered. Plus, my experience allows me to keep our resources very practical—because that's what people in the trenches need. I know the kinds of Bible Studies I'm looking for as a leader, and I'm able to create those. I have an intimate knowledge of the hard work—and failure—that come with small-group ministry. I understand it's a lot more difficult to change a church's culture than you'd think or want. So I create resources that meet those needs, tell it straight, and provide practical, realistic ideas for real leaders."

And she sees her work at Christianity Today as an extension of the ministry she did in a church setting: "More than anything, I truly see my position as a way to minister to people who are leading the small-group ministry in their churches. I know what they're going through, and I deeply care for them as they do the hard work of building and maintaining this important ministry. I really enjoy connecting with them through e-mail, social media, or face-to-face to hear about their successes and questions."

For Matt, Nick, Amy, and many others at Christianity Today, church ministry is more than just a job or an audience. It's a calling: past, present, and future.

Laura Leonard is associate editor of BuildingChurchLeaders.com