See the video of the September 28 service at the Franklin Campus when Rob was installed as Teaching Pastor.
Name and Title: Rob Sweet, Teaching Pastor, Franklin Campus
Description of role: (1) Teach the Bible on Sunday mornings at Franklin along as a part of the teaching team (with Michael, Lloyd, and Bill). (2) Partner with Eric Hoffman in providing overall leadership to the Franklin Campus.
Start date on staff at Fellowship: August, 2014
Where were you and what were you doing previous to your time at Fellowship? Most recently I was the Teaching Pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Johnson City, TN (2 years). Prior to that I was the Pastor to Young Adults at McKinney Church in Fort Worth, TX. Before I went into ministry I spent 7 years at Chick-fil-A Inc. in Atlanta as a Business Consultant. My role there was to coach and consult a group of Chick-fil-A owner-operators (Yes, tasting the food was an official part of my job…).
Family: Wife Jodie (married 13 years). 3 daughters: Ansley (10), Elysa (7), Karis (4)
Education: University of Georgia (Bachelors in journalism and Master of Business Administration); Dallas Theological Seminary (Master of Theology).
Any hobbies? I’ve played the trumpet since 5th grade and love all kinds of music. Jodie and I love to take short trips with our kids (and love to take long trips with each other!). I love reading books that make me think – and watching the kind of movies that I can “enter into.” On Saturday afternoons in the fall you might occasionally find me intensely studying the athletic movements of college-aged young adults on a 100-yard field (especially if they’re wearing red and black).
Favorite movies? A River Runs Through It, The Family Man, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Truman Show, Les Miserables.
Any favorite childhood memories? Canoeing with my dad, walks with my mom, ski trips on the lake, my little brother and I playing practical jokes on our older sisters (we called ourselves “The Dirty Duo”).
What’s an interesting piece of trivia about Rob Sweet? I was almost bitten by a deadly green mamba snake in Liberia, Africa when I was three years-old.
What do you like most about living in Tennessee? We love the the green everywhere in the summer and the explosion of color in the fall.
If you had two weeks to get away and money wasn’t an option, where would you want to be? One week in a beach house in the Caribbean and one week in a mountain chalet (who says you can’t have both?).
What’s one challenge you’ve faced in ministry, and how did you see God at work even in the midst of this challenge?
During my time as a Pastor of Young Adults in Fort Worth, TX, I was tasked with the challenge of encouraging a very diverse group of young adults to love each other well in the midst of some difficult social dynamics. The stereotype about 20-something singles is that they are one of the most self-oriented demographics. We saw God turn this dynamic upside-down and work through the commonality of the Gospel message to weave this group together in a pretty remarkable way.
What is something you learned from your experience at Chic-Fil-A that applies to your current ministry?
One of my biggest takeaways from my time at Chick-fil-A was how intentional they are at creating a remarkable staff culture. Every person LOVED working there and there was a sense of common vision and energy that was tangible and contagious. I learned a ton about how that kind of culture is developed and maintained.
How’d you get away from the deadly green mamba snake?
I wish I had a Indiana-Jones type story about it. 🙂 The green mamba is one of the most venomous snakes in the world. I was playing in our backyard right beside a garden hose where the snake was coiled up – a perfect camouflage! I was oblivious to its existence. After I went inside a worker found the snake as he bent over to pick up the hose. Fortunately he killed the snake without being bitten. (Maybe this story is why I can’t stand snakes to this day.)
Rob can be reached via email at .
