From the Field - April 2025

My name is Ashleigh Taylor, and I am the family associate to kids at Lake Church in Arlington, Texas. I have been on staff with Lake Church for a year and half, and what a joy it is to not only minister to children and their families but also to work alongside people who have the same passion for ministry that I do. What I have learned over the last year and half is that God’s plans are far better than mine. The journey to getting my job at Lake Church was not easy. For a month, I was applying to multiple churches and even had several interviews. There was a moment in which I was ready to give up and find something else to do. Thankfully, in these moments, what I came to realize was that God was orchestrating plans and waiting for the right time to reveal those plans to me. What felt like disappointment and rejection, turned into God letting me know that those other churches were not where He wanted me to serve full-time. 

One of my professors at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary knew the family pastor at Lake Church and reached out to me wanting to know if I was interested in their family associate position. I accepted and after two interviews was offered the position at Lake Church. Something to take away from this experience is to, first, spend time in prayer asking God what it is He is telling you to do, but second, to surround yourself with people that are willing to support you and encourage you to keep pushing forward. There were days in which I was in tears talking with my parents because another church told me no. They kept telling me to be patient and have faith that God knew what He was doing. 

Most importantly, trust God, which is easier said than done. When the world feels like it is falling apart, and you are ready to give up, spend time in prayer, and ask God for patience to be able to understand why He orchestrates plans the way He does. As someone who is impatient and does not like to wait, this was the hardest part. Ultimately, it does not matter how many times we try to do things on our own; God is ready to embrace us with open arms when we come to the realization that we cannot do it by ourselves, because in the end, God’s plans are better than ours. 

Ashleigh Taylor

Family Associate to Kids

Lake Church, Arlington, Texas