From left to right: Tim Watson’s daughters, Taylor and Kelley, son-in-law Travis, Tim, and son, Karson Furthermore, Watson connects pastors with Texas Baptist resources, such as counseling, Church Architecture, the Center for Financial Health, and more. He also helps pastors network and connect with one another. Recently, Watson led a two-day retreat for ten young pastors to give them rest and to introduce them to one another.
“We want to always remind pastors that Texas Baptists and area representatives exist for the pastors and the churches.”
“They have the same struggles as anyone else, and they need someone to step in. And that’s the real value of Texas Baptists and our denomination is that we have the time and resources to do that,” Watson said.
GET TO KNOW YOUR AREA REPRESENTATIVE: TIM WATSON Area Representative Director, Service Area 7
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After 25 years as a full-time pastor, Tim Watson felt God leading him to expand his ministry beyond the walls of a single church. Watson wanted to support the spiritual, emotional and even physical health of pastors so they would be able to lead strong, healthy churches. In order to do this, Watson became a Texas Baptist Area Representative in 2013 and now spends his time traveling around East Texas to support pastors.
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Watson represents Area 7, which is in East Texas. It has about 550 Texas Baptist congregations. In addition to being an area representative, Watson is also the Area Representative director and provides leadership and guidance to eight other representatives as they assist pastors in their areas. As an area representative, Watson sees himself as a pastor to pastors. His job is to care for pastors in the good times and the hard times. “We empathize and identify with the local pastors, and I love this role because I get to be a good listener and an informal counselor and pass along wisdom,” Watson explained. “Every pastor needs a pastor and a friend.”
Watson earned his Master of Divinity and Doctorate in Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. During his 25 years of pastoring, he has led four different churches. Even though it is no longer his full-time occupation, Watson is currently serving as an interim pastor at First Baptist Church in Woodville. It is his sixth interim pastorate. Watson is also the proud father of three children: Kelley, Taylor and Karson and is also a grandfather to Caroline Grace. At the end of the day, Watson wants his pastors to know that he is there to serve them as they pursue God’s calling for their churches. “We want to always remind pastors that Texas Baptists and area representatives exist for the pastors and the churches,” Watson said. “The churches don’t exist for us, we’re here to help them fulfill the Great Commission and reach their God-given potential.” Texas Baptists have nine area representatives serving around the state to connect with our churches. To find your area representative, visit txb.org/areareps or call 214.828.5111.
