“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman
Life is ultimately a series of decisions. Choices. Dr. Trey Jones knows this all too well. Time and again, he has taken the leap of faith to walk into an adventure, one that wouldn’t be as comfortable or certain as another option. In life, when you make the choice that scares you but excites you, this is when you “come alive.” Jones chooses to “come alive.”
Jones grew up in Florence, South Carolina and attended an IPHC church called Christian Assembly Church. His dad was a self-employed businessman, and his mom was a dental hygienist. Jones was very involved in the IPHC’s South Carolina Conference, enjoying the yearly summer camps and gatherings. At eight years of age, while attending a school event, he was frightened by a church’s attempt to make a literal version of the events in the book of Revelation, and he gave his heart to the Lord. Although he says the decision began from a place of fear, the conversion was genuine. At 11, at a South Carolina Conference youth camp, he received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and, at the age of 15, the call to ministry. His family legacy within IPHC is long. His great-grandfather, T.O. Evans, former Superintendent of the South Carolina Conference, founded the Go Offering. Today, the Go Offering is instrumental in Jones’ work as the Director of Healthy, Growing, Multiplying Churches. Jones’ grandfather, C.R. Jones, was also a pastor in the South Carolina Conference; he had a ministry revitalizing churches that needed a new life and a fresh perspective.
Dr. Jones studied at Emmanuel University directly after high school, and in his second year, he met a beautiful young lady, Hope. Hope shared that Jones used to pay someone to type up his papers. When they began dating, she took over the typing; she wanted Jones to save his money for their dates! The Joneses were married after completing their time at Emmanuel, in December of Jones’ first year of studies at Regent University for his MDiv. While there, the Jones family doubled in size as they welcomed first a son, Sam, and later a daughter, Anna Grace.
A Young Trey and Hope Jones
As their time at Regent was coming to a close, they started thinking about the future. They knew they would be pursuing a ministry position, but they weren’t sure where the Lord would send them. Dr. A.D. Beacham, Jr, our Presiding Bishop who was serving as the Superintendent of the Georgia Conference (now known as Lifepoint Ministries) at the time, made a wild suggestion: Plant a church in Macon, Georgia! They were not thrilled by the suggestion; they didn’t know anyone in Macon, Georgia. The Joneses began pursuing other opportunities. One in particular, at a thriving church in Virginia, looked especially promising. They were pretty far into the process when Hope turned to Trey and said, “If we don’t go to Macon, will it be the great ‘what if’ of our lives?” Around that same time, a mentor and friend spoke over Trey and Hope, saying that the Lord had a “pioneering inheritance” for them to possess. It was becoming abundantly clear: The Jones family was moving to Macon, Georgia.
In 1999, the community right outside of Macon, Georgia, where they would plant the church, was small and rural, just beginning to change into a more suburban setting. The Joneses already had a plot of land in mind for the church, but it would be some time before they could begin the building process. Therefore, the Joneses would need a place for their church to meet. Because the immediate community was so small, the options were few. There was a school nearby that would be the perfect, really the only, option. The Joneses went to the board and the head of the school several times, asking if they could use the facility as they grew their congregation and prepared to build. They were turned away every time. Jones knew this was the place, and he wouldn’t give up. He kept praying. He decided to go back one more time. When he arrived, he was introduced to the new head of the school, who said he had been told all about Jones. He brought Jones into a board meeting, and that very day, Jones left with keys and access to every part of the building!
Trey Jones Preaching at Life Church
Hope and Trey Jones at Life Church
Persistence and God’s favor had made a way! The Jones Family would begin their church, Life Church, in this building; they remained at the academy for six years. Every step of their journey continued to be confirmed by the Lord. Before their launch in 2000, the Joneses rounded out their family by welcoming their third child, Grey, a son, and thankfully, Life Church was self-sufficient before their launch service ever took place. The couple, who financed the land where they would eventually build, gave them the deed; they never paid a dime towards it! Church planting wasn’t an easy process by any means, but they did have some financial support and a lot of support through prayer and encouragement. The Jones family fondly remembers their time in Georgia and can point to all the ways that they saw the hand of God working in their lives.
Trey Jones with His Children: Sam, Grey, and Anna Grace
The planting of Life Church in Macon began a journey for the Jones family that continues today. Jones and Hope would remain in Macon for almost 24 years, growing Life Church into a multi-ethnic, multi-generational house of worship. Life Church would support the launching of two more church plants; the Joneses’ “pioneering inheritance” was in full effect.
Sam, Anna Grace, Hope, Trey, and Grey Jones
In 2022, Jones began sensing that he had a next step on the horizon. Jones had always been open to pursuing a doctorate, but he didn’t want to make that leap just to have another degree. He wanted a doctorate with a purpose, something he could use to further the Kingdom. The opportunity presented itself to study with Dr. Leonard Sweet and a small cohort of 11. The doctorate was through the Northwind Theological Seminary in Sarasota, FL, but most of the work was completed online with two in-person advances in Orcas Island, Washington and Oxford, England. But was now the right time? The Joneses had also been approached to relocate to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (OKC) so that Jones could take over as Director of Healthy, Growing, Multiplying Churches (HGM) at the IPHC headquarters. Trey and Hope were already praying over this new possibility; would pursuing a doctorate simultaneously be too much? Hope shared that the timing “didn’t make sense, but it made all the sense.” The Joneses referred back to the words spoken to and over them before their big move to Macon. Would this opportunity in OKC be the new great “what if” of their lives? Would the doctoral opportunity? They were assigned the “pioneering inheritance,” after all. After much prayer, Trey and Hope had decided: they were on their way to OKC, and Jones would study for his doctorate at the same time.
The Jones Family Reunited in OKC
After two years of intense study and amidst a new, exciting but demanding position, Jones recently completed his Doctorate of Theology and Ministry in Semiotics.
Dr. Trey Jones at His Graduation Ceremony
Dr. Jones’ intelligence and wisdom shine through as he speaks on semiotics and his dissertation. Semiotics is defined as the study of signs, and from the theological standpoint, it is the study of signs within culture and gleaning from those signs “what to do next.” Dr. Jones’ dissertation was entitled “A Semiotic Theology of Church Planting.” He took 180+ pages to dissect the idea that the church plant is God’s answer to the formless, empty darkness of humanity, just as the garden was God’s answer to the formless, empty darkness, as described in Genesis 1. The dissertation isn’t just theory, though; there are practical applications. In fact, Hope proudly shared that there is talk that his dissertation could be turned into a book for church planters.
Dr. Leonard Sweet and Dr. Trey Jones
Dr. Jones’ doctoral studies have been invaluable to his position as the Director of Healthy, Growing, Multiplying Churches in OKC. Dr. Jones and the HGM team do two things: 1- work with pastors to help them see their churches revitalized and 2 – work with church planters to help them fulfill their purpose in church planting. Before coming to OKC, he had successfully planted one church and been instrumental in launching two others, and he knows what it means to be a long-term pastor in one location. He understands the need for revitalization, a re-infusion of passion, or a fresh vision. He has been in the trenches, working as a planter and a pastor. Dr. Jones’ heart is with the local pastors and planters. He declares: “There is nothing more important or powerful on the planet than the local church; it is God’s plan to bring about change.”
Trey Jones Speaking at a HGM Church Planting Intensive
Jones has done great work in his almost two years as Director; HGM trained 1,752 pastors and leaders face-to-face in 2023. Dr. Jones gives all the praise first to the Lord and then to his team. The HGM team is multi-faceted and diverse. Pastor Bill Rose is the HG (Healthy, Growing) Coordinator, and Eric Boggs, Kevin Bordeaux, Frank Worthington, Justin Blankenship, Eduardo Gonzalez, Jamie Grisham, John Leggett, and 60 local coaches round out the Healthy Growing team. The Multiplying (church planting) team consists of Dave Ragan, Kevin Bordeaux, Rick Fountain, Woody Burpo, and 36 church planting coaches.
Jones’ work as the Director of HGM is just beginning; he hopes to keep building on his pioneering inheritance and what has already been accomplished. He wants to bring more pastors, planters, and churches into the calling God has placed on them, helping these ministers “come alive.” Dr. Trey Jones does all this insisting that no one lives a life of “what ifs”.
