Meet Our Pastor

Pastor Tim Crutcher

Pastor Tim has quite a background. He was born in the New York City metro area while his father was attending medical school there.

While a child his family moved often – to Hershey, PA where his brother and sister were born, then Canada for a year, Sacramento, California for a few years, then back to Reading, PA before settling in Tyler, Texas where Tim graduated from high school.

During his last year in high school, Tim decided on ministry as his life’s passion. And off he went to study Religion & Literature at SNU, Southern Nazarene University, in Oklahoma City. Tim completed his undergraduate degree in just 3 years. (He also skipped a grade in elementary school so the pastor must be an exceptional student!)

Pastor Tim mentioned, with a timid chuckle, he has 7 degrees! “More letters behind my name than letters in my name.” After obtaining a degree in both English and Theology at SNU, Tim and Rhonda, now married, went on to Kansas City to seminary.

After stints in Belgium and Kenya, with both Tim and Rhonda working on advanced degrees and teaching, they returned to Oklahoma City to their alma mater, together with three children born at their various stops over the previous few years… Andrew, Alex, and Elizabeth.  At SNU, Tim taught Theology and Church History for the next 19 years.

In 2019 the Crutchers faced some significant personal challenges. At the same time, they experienced great joy as they adopted Kristin, a young student they had been mentoring, who had difficult family issues. End result: Tim left his job as college theology professor after 19 years, added child #4 to the family and moved to the Florida Keys to be a pastor at a tiny church in Key Largo. Needing income to support the family, Tim became a substitute teacher, then teacher’s aide and eventually the chemistry teacher at Marathon High School.

With his love for people, learning, and teaching, it is not surprising that while Tim is an ordained pastor, much of his life has been spent teaching young students, as a college professor and now, as a “stealth pastor” high school teacher in Marathon (where he teaches chemistry and Rhonda works in the drama department).

Tim and Rhonda are truly amazing. Tim has authored a number of books – available on Amazon: John Wesley, His Life and Thought; The Crucible of Life, the Role of Experience in John Wesley's Theological Method; and Becoming Human Again. He has also written a series of three fictional books. And Rhonda also has written a book available on Amazon: That He Might Be Revealed.