A LU M N I D I S T I N G U I S H E D S E R V I C E AWA R D
JAMES R. CONGDON
// THM, 1976
When Jim Congdon arrived in Topeka, Kansas, in 1976, he was fresh out of Dallas Theological Seminary. At that time, Topeka Bible Church (TBC) had about 300 people attending its services. In those days, the congregation was considered large, especially for a church with no denominational ties. Jim, a Portland, Oregon, native, was the second oldest of twelve children. He graduated from high school early and went to college at age sixteen. In 1971, Jim received a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Wheaton College in Illinois. After graduating, he studied at Multnomah Bible College, then received a master of theology degree in Old Testament from DTS, where he received the Old Testament Award in 1976. He earned his DMin from Trinity Evangelical Divinity Seminary (now Trinity International University) in Illinois in 1996. TOPEKA BIBLE CHURCH Jim, who was just twenty-five years old when he started at TBC, said he would stay in Topeka just long enough to get some experience as a youth pastor. However, he became the church’s sixth senior pastor in 1977, replacing Thom Burbridge (MABS, 1980) who served for three years from 1974 to 1977.
James R. Congdon (ThM, 1976) is the 2016 Alumni Distinguished Service Award recipient. He has served as the senior pastor of Topeka Bible Church in Kansas for forty years.
The church’s attendance grew and, instead of moving to another church in a larger city, Jim stayed put. His close friend Jerry Brosius offers an explanation: “I asked him, ‘You had a lot of chances to go to a larger church—Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta are at least three I know of— what made you stay here?’ I remember his response, ‘I always wondered what it would be like if a man committed himself to a ministry for a lifetime.’ I think that’s what you see here.” In 1978, he married his sweetheart, Melody. “Their marriage is exemplary in that they readily share how the Lord has been the foundation of their relationship, allowing them to navigate the ups and downs of marriage. Through the process, they have built a marriage that is strong and based on complete devotion to each other, allowing the differences in their personalities to give a beautiful picture of how two individuals with very different abilities and styles can create a balanced team, amazingly effective in ministry,” wrote Doug Will, executive pastor at TBC.
The couple today have four children: Adriel (Daniel), Mark (Katy), Doug (Leigh), and Craig (Emily), and eight grandchildren; Liviya, Judah, Cora, Asher, Darcy, Reuben, Beatrice, and Harvey. The Congdon home, known as a place of hospitality, continues to be a haven of fellowship for the Topeka community. “Each time an invitation came, after prayer and discussion with Melody, we decided to stay, for various reasons, primarily an indifference to personal achievement. I am far from a super saint, as those who know me best will attest,” Jim once said. “But I do believe that heaven’s rewards are the only ones worth striving for in the end.” THE NOMINATION While visiting DTS to interview candidates for a youth pastor position, Jim met Hank Nelson (ThM, 1980). At the time, Jim served alongside one other full-time associate pastor, and he hired Hank as part of TBC’s full-time staff. They have worked together for the last thirty-five years. Hank said, “Over the years our relationship has morphed from extremely close—now because of all kinds of ‘life’ issues—to partners in ministry at TBC.”
Dr. Paul Pettit (ThM, 1996; DMin, 2007) presented Jim the 2016 Alumni Distinguished Service Award at TBC’s 40th Anniversary Celebration held on July 31, 2016.
In nominating Jim, Hank shared the following: “There is NO doubt that Jim Congdon is worthy of this award. He has been a humble, godly example at TBC for over forty years. In his percontinued on next page
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// DT S MAG A Z INE FA LL 2016
DT S. E D U/ MAG AZ I NE DA L LA S T HEOLOGICA L S EMINA RY //
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