Josh Olds is a pastor, storyteller, thinker, and now, a blogger. At the heart of Josh’s ministry is the desire to see people’s lives transformed by the person and teachings of Jesus. His ministry structures take three distinct, yet overlapping paths:
Head. Mature Christians are meant to be rational and intellectual. We are called to be “prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks [us] to give the reason for the hope that [we] have” (1 Pet. 3:15). Unfortunately, many Christians have only an elementary knowledge of faith they claim to profess. The first branch of Josh’s ministry seeks to grow believers in their knowledge of Scripture and theological issues so that Christians can hold a deeper and more confident faith and be prepared to share that faith with others.
Heart. Mature Christians are meant to be loving and relational. When asked to give the greatest commandment, Jesus replied with “Love the Lord your God…love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk. 12:30-31). The second branch of Josh’s ministry seeks relationships. First, it seeks to provide individuals with a path toward a closer emotional relationship with God and a deeper personal experience with his Spirit. Second, it seeks to connect with those outside of the faith, whether they are seekers or antagonists, to respectfully engage with them on the issues of faith and morality.
Hands. Mature Christians are meant to doers and goers. Christianity means nothing if it is only a personal experience of a feeling or an intellectual exercise. James writes very clearly: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (Jas. 1:22). The third branch of Josh’s ministry is meant to mobilize believers into Kingdom work and give practicality to emotionality and rationality.
Since 2013, Josh has worked out this calling as teaching pastor at Tulsa Chinese Christian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, an unlikely but God-ordained home for a Caucasian kid who doesn’t know Mandarin. Before that, he served as interim pastor at Laurel Church of Christ in Laurel, Indiana. Josh also spends his summers as the co-director for a Christian summer camp that teaches over a hundred kids each week.
In the writing realm, Josh is the author of Art and the Bible for Children, a children’s Bible storybook that doubles as art curriculum. He also co-authored a limited-release novel called The Blood Book with NYT bestselling author Ted Dekker. His most recent published work is the small group curriculum that accompanies the 2015 movie Caged No More.