Life experiences forge path to ministry

“We don’t rise to the occasion; we fall back on our training.” This was one of the many lessons that Reverend Treighton (Trey) Haddon (MDiv’17) remembers from serving with the United States Marine Corps. It’s also why Trey is grateful for his education at Austin Seminary. “Austin Seminary gave me the theological training I needed to be an effective pastor.” Today, he is the pastor and head of staff at Second Presbyterian (Second Pres) Church in Bloomington, Illinois. He leads a team of fifteen, and as one of the largest churches in Bloomington, Second Pres has proven to be a catalyst for community building in the area.

During the COVID-19 shutdown, Second Pres made local and statewide headlines as one of the first churches to launch a drive-in church service. People gathered, in their vehicles, on the State Farm headquarters parking lot and listened to Trey preaching from the back of his truck. The average attendance was over 135 vehicles each Sunday, with people from various churches in the area seeking community in worship, even if only through their car windows.

The church has also become a catalyst for ecumenical collaboration. Trey spearheaded partnerships with local churches of various denominations to hold joint services and community outreach programs. Working in partnership with local authorities, Second Pres holds a community-wide Easter egg hunt in the middle of downtown Bloomington that welcomes over a thousand residents each year. Still, in only his sixth year as an ordained pastor, Trey knows he is just getting started and is excited about the future. “I find great joy in being a part of the movement of God in the church today. I think we’re in a time where people are much more authentic. They’re looking for depth, not the church of plug and play doing the same old programs and things—churches that are doing that are dying. Only God knows what the church will look like two, five, or ten years down the road. And being a pastor in this time, if that doesn’t excite you, you’ll probably not last long.”

Becoming a pastor was not the trajectory Trey had in mind early on. After six years with the Marines, Trey earned a degree in early childhood education. He planned to become an elementary school teacher while volunteering at a local church. He spent some time in the classroom, volunteered at summer camps, and ultimately worked as a youth director for a local Presbyterian church before realizing his call to ministry.

As a Georgia native, Trey’s original plan was to attend seminary closer to home, but according to him, God had other plans. “I was at Presbyterian Youth Triennium and wandered into the room where the seminaries had tables. A recruiter told me about Austin Seminary and put me on their mailing list. From that day, it felt like I was receiving something from them every time I turned around.”

For Trey, this persistence was appreciated. “It was like they were building a relationship with me because they were in constant contact.” After starting multiple applications to different seminaries, what finally sealed the deal was a visit during Discovery Weekend. “I was on the phone with someone from the seminary,” said Trey, “and before I knew it, they had arranged for me to come to Austin, picked me up at the airport, put me up in a room, and after I left, I knew where I wanted to be.”

Austin Seminary was a formative time for Trey. There, he gained a deeper appreciation for how his experiences in life intersected with his faith and Reformed theology. “One of my favorite classes was with Professor Cindy Rigby, her Moltmann and Gutierrez class. I especially remember reading The Crucified God and this quote from Moltmann: “To know God means to endure God.” This idea of enduring God related to things I endured in life, in the church, and especially in the military. My time on active duty gave me a brush with humanity at its greatest and its worst. So this helped me walk through my own sense of God and gain a deeper understanding of God in my life.”

Trey believes his unique blend of real-world experiences and theological insight is one of his greatest strengths: “I find myself to be a bridge builder between the community and the church. I think my experiences as a teacher, a Marine, and even time working in construction at an early age have given me the ability to be in spaces with different types of people and know how to relate to them.”

Trey is thankful for the Austin Seminary experience—from the classroom to relationships, especially financial support. “If it hadn’t been for Austin Seminary, their scholarship program, and grants, I would not be a pastor today.” As a word of encouragement for new seminary students, Trey advises, “Apply for every grant you can find! Be open to hearing different theological ideas. This will help you have good conversations with each other and learn to appreciate other people’s viewpoints and theologies. At the end of the day, you’re all there learning together.”