Meet our New Student Aaron Whitesell

Hi, my name is Aaron Whitesell. I'm 34, and I've been married to my wife, Alyssa, for 11 years. We have an almost 4-year-old daughter named Zora. We’re a part of Foothills Christian Church in Phoenix, AZ, which is our home DOC church. We are so thankful for the community there, especially the head pastor Bekah who has welcomed us with open arms. We are an open and affirming congregation, and I am so thankful to be able to work in the office as the administrative assistant and to get to lead the high school youth group.

Before this, I was a Youth and Young Adults Director in a previous denomination for eight years. I graduated from a more conservative Bible college. I became a Christian in a pretty rigid church, where right and wrong were clearly defined, and I was consistently reminded of the dangers of the slippery slope. Now my theology seems to be ever changing/expanding. At first, that was a very distressing process to go through. However, over time I’ve begun to embrace that I’m not going to figure it all out, but that hasn’t stopped me from wanting to learn and grow.

That’s what led me back to school and to pursuing an M.Div. at CST. I look forward to learning from perspectives different from the ones I was given when I first became a Christian. My hope is that as I learn, I will be better prepared to walk with people as they wrestle with faith and not having it all figured out. I also hope to better learn how to put my faith into action, that I would better embody Micah 6:8, “to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” and that I would better love the poor and the powerless and lift up the weak – not just in teaching but in real action. This is another reason I am so thankful to be a part of Foothills, as it is a church that really cares for the needs of others.

I’m not completely sure what my future in ministry looks like yet. I’m happy to continue to work with high schoolers forever, but I could also see myself being an Associate Pastor or a Chaplain of some kind. Either way, I really just hope to be able to walk with people and help where I can. I want to be a safe place for people, reminding them that they are loved and always have been. I want to do that through both teaching and action. That’s what I’m passionate about, in life and in ministry: being present with people, being honest about the questions, and reminding them of a love that draws near, that doesn’t need everything figured out.