Don Blanton

I was fortunate to be raised in a Christian home. Growing up my family attended several large churches in Cincinnati and Springfield, Mo. My parents were always involved in leadership with my dad serving on church boards and teaching Sunday School classes and singing in the choir. Mom was always involved in kids ministry.  My father went in to full time ministry as I was entering High School, great timing right?  Our family had moved to the Cleveland, Ohio area as he took on his first senior pastorate. For me those years were mixed. I enjoyed the idea of my dad being a pastor but struggled with the small church attitude and what it lacked in ministry, especially youth and kids ministry. I had grown accustomed to large youth groups and now I found myself being the oldest teen in the church.

 

Needless to say, I also found myself struggling with applying my faith as a young teen. My parents always steered me in the right way but I had to make my own choices. Being in a small church I found my escape behind the sound board. I became quite good at it and began running sound for local high school bands and eventually began getting paid for my work.  Soon I found myself immersed in the culture and easily adopted much of the lifestyle that goes along with it.  I was working  professionally right out of high school touring and working major live events across the US.  

 

My dream was to own my own production company but I knew I was going to need a business education to make that a reality so after being away from home for a couple of years I moved back to prepare to go back to school full time. It was during that time that I was asked to help as a chaperone at a youth convention. I can still take you to the spot where God and I finally had it out. I was a mess and basically told God if He was everything I had ever been told growing up then He needed to fix me now…and he did. On March 30, 1986 God performed a miracle in my life and I have never been the same since.

 

I ended up going to North Central University in Minneapolis, MN and was majoring in Mass Communications with an emphasis on business. What drew me was not the Christian aspect of the school but the opportunity of spending my senior year working in the best production studios of the time, PTL.  I was not a real fan of Jim Baker but PTL had the best studios and production facilities in the world at that time. While at NCU I had the opportunity to participate in a missions trip throughout England. While on this trip God and I fought long and hard about my future.  When I returned home I began pursuing my degree in ministry... He won the argument.

 

God did not make me completely walk away from my desires and dreams. He has allowed me to use my production background throughout my ministry. My youth and kids ministries had lights and smoke years before it was cool and my approach to ministry has carried that same level of excellence that was required in the professional production field.

 

As I have worked in each position God has brought me to over the last thirty some odd years I have learned to trust Him more and more. I am very confident in my communication skills as well as administrative and leadership abilities. I am well aware that I can make a lot of things happen in my own power but I have learned to truly let God be my God of the impossible so I can do and be even more than I can imagine. 

 

When I am asked to describe my ministry philosophy my response is simply this, I believe ministry is doing what is necessary to meet the real needs of people to bring them closer to Christ. That will take on various forms and methods to accomplish, but I am committed to leading and building a local church that is determined to see spiritual growth in the entire family and community. Faith is a journey and everyone is at a different place and must be ministered to as such with encouragement, leaving room for mistakes but giving loving correction when needed.

 

​If I had to describe my greatest joy in ministry it would be helping people discover why they are on earth. There is something about seeing someone have that moment of discovering truth. I want to help people go beyond church programming to having  life altering encounters with Christ. I am convinced that the only way we will reach our world is to encourage people to learn to live the message of Christ with raw passion that comes from their own desire to know God more.