Meet the Baileys: A Calling to Youth Ministry
For more than 23 years, Rob and Christal Bailey have been willing to go anywhere the Church of God asked them to, including the green lawns of Sylacauga, Alabama to the enchanted land of New Mexico. As a result of being elected at the Church of God General Assembly last July, the Baileys have finally been called back home to Cleveland, Tenn., where Rob will serve as the International Assistant Youth and Discipleship Director.
By David White
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to go home,” said Rob, who spent the past 23 years serving in local church ministry in Tennessee and Alabama and as the state youth director for Church of God state offices in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and South Carolina. “Although we’ve lived in a lot of different states and regions of the country during our marriage, a few years ago when our children began attending Lee University, we adopted Cleveland, Tenn. as home for our family.” Indeed, eastern Tennessee is at the very heart of the Baileys’ path as a family and ministry team.
Rob and Christal met at a Church of God youth camp at Signal Mountain outside Chattanooga in the summer of 1990, the same camp Rob rededicated his life to Christ as a student. Rob was a football player and a stand out wrestler as a student athlete for the Cleveland High Blue Raiders. Christal graduated from William Blount High in Maryville, Tenn. and was a member of the Topside Church of God in Louisville, Tennessee.
Rob’s first ministry position was at the New Hope Church of God in Sevierville, Tenn. as a junior high Sunday School teacher. Thus began an official change of career plans for a Marine reservist and Sevier County Sheriff Department officer.
“I had other ideas, a different career path,” Rob said. “I was really interested in law enforcement. I wanted to be a detective and serve in that regard, but God had a different idea. “I agreed to teach a junior high boys Sunday School class until they found someone else to take over, but I just fell in love with student ministry from that point on.”
Rob and Christal Bailey
Soon enough, Rob was promoted to assistant youth pastor at New Hope Church, and eventually accepted a part time youth pastor position at the Powell Church of God in Knoxville. After a fruitful youth ministry in Powell, Rob accepted an interim youth pastor position at Christal’s home church in Louisville, Tenn. After much prayer and deliberation, Rob left the secular employment and the USMC reserves behind and began serving full-time in youth ministry in Alabama.
After eight years of full time, local church youth ministry, the Baileys launched into state youth work — taking them West, starting with an appointment in the New Mexico Church of God state office in Albuquerque. While in New Mexico, Rob was also appointed as the lead pastor of the Dakota Street, New Life Church of God. After completing his tenure in New Mexico, the Baileys served in Oklahoma, Texas and South Carolina — and finally, home to Tennessee again.
Rob is the son of Rev. Robert and Connie Bailey. His dad, Robert L. Bailey, Sr. recently retired after five decades of ministry in the Church of God serving as a state evangelist in North Georgia, national evangelist and the elder Bailey has pastored some incredible churches, including South Cleveland Church of God, when Rob was a teenager.
Christal is the daughter of Steve and Vickie McCarter of Louisville. Her sister Farah and her husband Nick pastor in Lenoir City, Tenn., and her brother Aaron and his wife Sharon pastor in Maryville, Tenn. Christal is highly gifted in drama ministry, having won Teen Talent in drama as a teenager, coached winning drama groups as a local church fine arts director and for the last decade has been a part of the adjudication team in the drama division at International Teen Talent. She is also a passionate prayer intercessor.
Their oldest daughter, Tori, is married to Jordan Lewis. They are youth pastors at the International Praise Church of God in Columbia, S.C. and are the proud parents of Elisha and Eden. The Baileys’ oldest son, Robbie, is a student at Lee University and has served as a youth evangelist preaching all over South Carolina while still in high school. For the summer of 2016, Robbie was appointed as the interim youth pastor at McDuffie Street, River of Life Church of God in Anderson, S.C. Their daughter, Lexi, is a high school student with a calling to special needs ministry, and their youngest son Tobie recently received his ministry calling this summer at South Carolina youth camp.
Together, they can all call Cleveland, Tennessee home for the first time.
David White is the youth and discipleship director for the Church of God in California and Nevada.
