Full-circle moments are some of life’s greatest treasures for Rev. Jasper Paul Taylor’10/’12 M.O.L. One of those moments happened in early 2024 when he delivered chapel messages for Olivet Nazarene University’s winter revival services.
“I looked out from the stage of Centennial Chapel and imagined myself sitting in those seats as a student,” he says. “I also remembered serving at ONU as a graduate assistant in the School of Music, as the multicultural campus coordinator and as director of the Gospel Choir. Sharing God’s Word in that context was definitely a full-circle moment for me.”
Today, Rev. Taylor is combining his gifts for music, ministry and leadership in his current assignment from God as senior pastor of the Broadview Missionary Baptist Church (BMBC) in Broadview, Illinois. A fourth-generation pastor, he has led this suburban Chicago congregation since 2023. He also serves as executive director of the Calahan Foundation, NFP, which inspires youth through educational scholarships and college mentoring as well as meeting the deep needs of humanity through community outreach.
“Our church’s worship style is intentionally culturally sensitive,” Rev. Taylor says. “Much of our music is rooted in the unique American art form known as gospel music, both traditional and contemporary. In the African American church, music and preaching are inseparable. I sing every Sunday before or after I preach. I enjoy connecting with our congregation through the antiphonal or dialogic type of preaching, where there is a call-and-response relationship between the preacher and the people.”
Under Rev. Taylor’s leadership, BMBC is growing in numbers and in impact.
“Since January 2023, we have welcomed more than 350 new members, whom we affectionately call partners in ministry, and have baptized more than 125 new believers,” he says. “We are even more grateful that we are seeing all ages coming to faith for the first time.”
The church’s mission focus is both local and international.
“We focus on our immediate community first with a strong outreach to youth and young adults,” Rev. Taylor says. “ONU students and grads have joined our church. They are helping us to evangelize our neighborhood; reach out to prisons and correctional facilities; and continue our strong commitment to Christian education and international missions.”
Before serving at BMBC, Rev. Taylor served from 2013 to 2023 as the executive pastor for St. Paul and Greater Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, where he worked alongside his father, Dr. Joel Taylor. His mother, Dr. Cynthia Taylor ’06 M.A., is a licensed professional counselor and the director of Multiethnic Student Services at Olivet.
“One of the greatest joys of ministry is witnessing people fall in love with God’s Word,” Rev. Taylor says. “Also, seeing our church passing the faith from one generation to the next has deeply impacted me. Among our church staff of 25, there are three generations represented. Sometimes the enemy wants people to focus on generational differences, but I like to encourage the body of Christ to find the places where we can find unity. I truly believe God has called me to be a bridge among generations.”
Rev. Taylor is still influenced by the people who took the time to pour into him and coach and mentor him during his days as an Olivet student.
“I’ve had many conversations with several of my former professors and administrators,” he says. “Dr. Woody Webb is one. He and I still talk to this day. Dr. Webb has the gift of listening. He knows how to make you feel heard. When he does speak, he has the ability to encourage you while at the same time reminding you of God’s faithfulness.”
“Another one of my mentors is Dr. Neal Woodruff, my voice professor in the School of Music and now the dean of the School of Music. During my time at ONU, he was sometimes my voice teacher, sometimes my pastor and sometimes my counselor. When I had decisions to make, I knew I could work out my decision-making process with him. His office was a safe place, and he was undeniably someone who helped me navigate my passion for music and my identity in Christ.”
Rev. Taylor adds, “Those are the types of conversations that are always happening at Olivet. It’s the norm. Olivet truly embodies its mission of being more than just a college education. Olivet is a place that provides an education with a Christian purpose. I’m eternally grateful for my grounding at Olivet.”
“One of the greatest joys of ministry is witnessing people fall in love with God’s Word.”
From Olivet The Magazine, Compassion & Conviction – Spring 2024. Read the full issue here.
