Graduate Series: Josh Patterson

Tell us a little bit about yourself

Hi! My name is Josh Patterson and I am 26 years old. I am married to Rozzi and we have an 8-month-old daughter called Phoebe. I am currently working as a Pastor-in-Training at Ballycraigy Congregational Church which is just outside Glengormley. Outside of working and spending time with my family, I enjoy following football. I'm a proud and slightly frustrated Arsenal fan. Before going into ministry, I worked in agriculture and still enjoy helping on the family farm, although with church and a baby this is becoming less frequent.

When did you study at IBC and what was the most beneficial thing you gained from your time here?

I started studying at IBC in September 2020 and finished the Undergraduate Degree in Theology in April 2023 and I graduated later that year. Those 3 years at IBC were transformational for me. Having grown up in church I thought I knew the Bible and understood it. It became clear very early on that I had a lot to learn. The grace the lecturers showed me was unending! Through the College I learned how to understand the Bible, why the various books and letters in it were written and how to apply God's word to my own life and the lives of others around me. My time at the College also transformed my own walk with the Lord. These years helped me understand more about the God who saved me and also helped me recognise how dependent on him I really am.

What are you doing now that you’ve left the College, and how did your time at IBC help prepare you for that?

I am currently working as a Pastor-in-Training at Ballycraigy Congregational Church. This two-year role aims to expose me to enough church life in order to best prepare me to pastor a church, if that is what God would call me to do. The pastor and congregation have blessed us so much throughout my time at Ballycraigy. They have enabled me to learn and grow in ministry, far beyond what is expected. But equally, I could not do what I now do without the training I received at IBC. The College gave me the tools, processes and foundation that I needed in order to faithfully serve in the local church. I didn’t appreciate how good a foundation I was getting until I was thrown in the deep end in full time ministry. IBC is a big part of why my head is still above the water.

What can we pray for you?

My two years at Ballycraigy are coming to an end soon and so we are praying that God would make it clear to us what our next step is. We are so thankful to God for leading and blessing us this far and so we trust the future to him. Please pray that God would continue to lead and we would continue to follow faithfully. Do also pray for Ballycraigy Congregational Church that God would continue to build his church there.