Pastor Taurus Montgomery gave a series of sermons during Andrews University’s Week of Prayer (September 11-16). In this interview, I asked him about his goals for the week, his experiences with God, and his message to the students of Andrews.
What is your history with Andrews University, if any?
I went to seminary at Andrews several years ago, from 2008 to 2010.
What is the main theme/takeaway of this year’s Week of Prayer?
I want students to leave with a clearer sense of God’s purpose in their lives, and the steps they can take in order to live out that purpose. I believe that when you’re clear on what God’s purpose is for your life, it gives you a sense of calling, fulfillment, and satisfaction that you can’t get without knowing why you’ve been put on this earth.
What has your spiritual journey been like?
Well, I didn’t grow up in a Christian household; I came to Christ when I was nineteen years old. It all happened as a result of my house burning down, leaving my family homeless. An Adventist family let me and my family come live with them, and we stayed with them for about two to three years. During that time frame I was introduced to Christ, and I made the decision for myself when I was nineteen years old to follow Christ. My spiritual journey has been amazing; seeing God in my own life, throughout my missions and serving others, has grown my faith. In the midst of all that, He showed me His purpose for my life, which I believe is helping young people find their purpose.
What compelled you to become a pastor?
It was a sense of calling, something I just felt like God was calling me to do. When I would go to church and sit in the pews, there would be moments where I would just kind of be lost in that moment where the preacher himself is no longer just a preacher, but I would see myself preaching, and that would be a recurring theme. Also, there would be people just randomly asking me if I was a minister or a pastor, and these were complete strangers. So God was confirming through those things that He was calling me to pastoral ministry.
Lastly, what Change Day activity did you participate in?
So we had about twenty to twenty-five students come out to my church, Harbor of Hope, and they helped with grounds work, the community garden, lawn care, organizing, and cleaning in the church. They all helped to lift a burden in the work we needed in the church.
There’s been some confusion about what happened on Tuesday, and I believe some people were misinformed about what went down. Could you elaborate on what you said in your call to prayer, and your mention of specific struggles like insecurities and sexual bondage?
Oh man, Tuesday was a God moment. Sometimes God moments are beyond human explanation, but I’ll give my humble attempt at explaining what happened on Tuesday. It was a call for people to surrender themselves; I got the impression from God that there were some young people who knew what they should be doing, but were not living that out. So it was an altar call for those individuals to do what they know God is calling them to do. And for those that knew they needed God’s help in overcoming personal struggles, such as their insecurities or sexual struggles, to take that moment to come to the altar to ask God for spiritual power. So that’s my humble estimation of what happened on Tuesday.
What’s the most important thing you think students should hear right now?
As I mentioned earlier, I want students to walk away with a clearer sense of God’s purpose for their lives, and how to discover this unique purpose. Even more so, that God is real, and that He meets us where we are to get us where He wants us to be in living out His purpose for our lives.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.