Tim Ross returns to service with CMF

Tim Ross is many things: a pastor, professor, missionary, husband, dad, and citizen of the Cherokee Nation. In the 1980’s and 90’s, Tim and his family served as CMF missionaries among the Maasai of Kenya and upon returning to the US, he served as pastor of the Hopwood Christian Church at Milligan University for the next 27 years. Tim is an instructor at Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan and a consultant with NAIITS, a seminary created by Christians of the First Nations.

But even when Tim returned to the States after serving as a CMF missionary, his relationship with us didn’t end.

While at Hopwood, Tim built relationships with many of our CMF missionaries who have passed through both Milligan and Emmanuel Christian Seminary, often creating small groups for people considering serving as missionaries. Tim has also been utilized numerous times to provide pastoral care for CMF missionaries at gatherings, and to make field visits when needed.

As Tim was approaching retirement from Hopwood, he and CMF Executive Director Kip Lines began dreaming about him serving again with CMF. Those dreams have become reality as Tim joins us in the role of Director of Pastoral Care, building on his long history of mentoring ministers and cross-cultural workers.

Kip shared that “While it’s my expectation that everyone who works at CMF is part of their own church community, it is such a blessing to have someone inside CMF who understands us and can be a pastor for us. Tim loves people, loves what we do in CMF, and loves to serve as a pastor.”

While Tim will be primarily involved in ongoing pastoral conversations with our missionaries to help them grow in their spiritual health, he will also travel from his home in Tennessee to the CMF office in Indianapolis each month to help staff grow in their spiritual health.

“Returning to CMF is like coming home,” Tim says. “Helping form and care for ministers and missionaries is the best kingdom work I can do.”

We hope you can celebrate with us the blessing that it will be to have someone like Tim willing to serve CMF in this way!