CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Marcos Crespo spent years pushing a calling to ministry to the back of his mind.
Eventually a decade passed between the moment he first sensed God’s direction and the day he finally said yes.
“My ministry calling continued to increase,” Crespo said. “And at that point it was just making itself super clear.”
Today, Crespo is serving with First Baptist Church Clarksville’s pastoral internship program, which places aspiring ministers alongside experienced church leaders in areas including children’s ministry, student ministry and missions. The effort is part of a broader initiative supported by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and made possible in part through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions.
“The internship helps me to refine my calling,” Crespo said. “By exposing me to many different areas of ministry, it points me to areas where I might be very interested in — and not so much interested in — which is very good to make sure that what I’m doing is what God’s calling me to do.”
Crespo’s path to First Baptist Church Clarksville began when he was stationed at nearby Fort Campbell. A fellow soldier invited him to the church, and he said he was simply looking for a congregation that took Scripture seriously.
“First Baptist Clarksville is a church that follows God’s Word, and I just fell in love with the church,” he said.
Senior pastor Ronny Raines noticed Crespo’s calling early. When Crespo left the military in March 2024, Raines offered him a spot in the church’s internship program and recommended him to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
In two years, the internship has taken Crespo through student and children’s ministry, prison ministry, Vacation Bible School and mission trips to the Middle East, South America, Central America and elsewhere.
This year, Raines has been preparing him to preach by starting small and building up to leading the senior pastor’s own weekly Bible study.
“Pastor Raines is very wise. He did not just put me to preach right from the beginning,” Crespo said. “But now it’s just been another level.”
Addressing a statewide need
Roughly 400 Tennessee churches are currently without a senior pastor — a shortage Raines believes makes investing in the next generation of ministers both urgent and essential.
“We believe God’s still calling people to serve, and so we need to invest in them so that those churches can have pastors fill in the pulpits preaching God’s Word and ministering to people,” Raines said.
Crespo said the internship helps aspiring ministers honestly assess the calling before stepping into it unprepared and gives them a clearer picture of what the role actually demands.
“I see so many doors being open, especially through the internship,” he said. “I would never be exposed to so many types of ministry if it wasn’t for this program.”
Looking ahead, Crespo said he feels a strong pull toward missions and is pursuing a seminary concentration in chaplaincy and pastoral care, with hopes of one day serving as a military chaplain.
For now, he said, he is focused on following God’s lead one step at a time.
“Right now I’m still waiting for confirmation from the Lord, but I know that He’s preparing me.”
GOTM makes it possible
The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board supports the internship through a matching salary grant funded by the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions, splitting up to $1,250 per semester per intern evenly with the participating church.
This semester, 28 interns are serving in nine Tennessee Baptist churches.
“Because of the faithfulness of Tennessee Baptists to give through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions, we’re able to help churches multiply Gospel leaders,” said Josh Franks, minister development lead for the TBMB.
For Raines, who was shaped by a mentor pastor earlier in his own ministry, the program is both a personal conviction and a biblical mandate.
“I had a seasoned pastor who invested in my life. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him,” he said. “Luke chapter 12 says to whom much is given, much is required.”
Crespo echoes that same biblical framework.
“You can see it with Paul and Timothy. You can see it with Jesus and his disciples,” Crespo said. “I think more churches should be willing to do that — and I think it would help with the issue of not having senior pastors.”
Raines has a direct appeal for Tennessee Baptist churches that haven’t yet taken the step.
“See who’s in your congregation that God’s calling, issue the call, and then take the time to invest in them,” he said. “God’s raising them up — and he’s going to use them.”
This article originally appeared in the Baptist & Reflector.
