Tom Lindsey

Old Salem Baptist Church, Frisco City
Bethlehem Baptist Association

Favorite Verse: Psalm 23:4

Favorite Hymn: “Days of Elijah”

Hobbies: Fishing and golfing

Family Status: Married to wife of 41 years, Willie; children: Paul Lindsey and Dee Barfield; five grandchildren

Pastor Tom Lindsey, 61, of Old Salem Baptist Church, Frisco City, is in his first pastorate, which began in 2010. In 2013, he was chosen as the Troy L. Morrison Leadership Award recipient for bivocational work. Worship attendance at Old Salem Baptist averaged about 15 in 2010. Now it is 80–85. Lindsey’s journey to the pulpit began 30 years ago with a calling to teach Sunday School. Five years ago, he was led into lay preaching and was ordained in 2010. A graduate of the University of Alabama, Lindsey worked in engineering from 1976 to 2010. He also earned a paramedic degree from the University of South Alabama in Mobile and works with an ambulance service in Monroe County.  

Q: What influences in your life pointed you to Christ at the beginning of your faith journey?

A: I was raised in a Christian home. My mom always read Bible stories to us. I’ve always had that desire to know more. I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 18. I was living in Tuscaloosa at the time and had just started at the university. 

Q: When and how were you led into the ministry? 

A: I was led to be a Sunday School teacher. I remember it vividly. That was the anointing of the Holy Spirit. In 2010, He spoke to me again. It has been a great ride with the Lord.

Q: What does the ministry demand?

A: It demands my whole life. It demands my attention. It demands that I focus more on doing the Lord’s work and doing the Lord’s will. It is the most rewarding work anyone can do. I thank the Lord every night for calling me into the ministry. You can’t be a preacher without receiving the calling. It is an honor.

Q: What do you get from the ministry?

A: The feeling the Lord gives me of seeing people’s lives change. It’s the most rewarding feeling that anybody can get.

Q: How do family members support you?

A: My wife supports my ministry. She works in the church with me. She goes visiting with me. She helps me when I need something. She gives me advice. She is a great help in my ministry. My children support me and my church.

Q: How do you see yourself involved in this in the future?

A: I see myself doing this until the Lord calls me home. From being a man of God and a pastor, I don’t see myself retiring.

Q: What difference will this ministry make for you in the future? 

A: It brings full meaning to life.

Q: What difference has Jesus Christ made in your life?

A: He has set me free from the bondage of sin I was living under. He has changed my outlook on life. He has showed me how to love people who are unlovable. He has changed my attitude on how to look at things in life. I try to look at things through the eyes of Christ.