Every Friday, Baptist Women in Ministry introduces a gifted minister, and today, we are proud to introduce to you Taryn Deaton.
Taryn, tell us about your current ministry.
I am currently as the director of development for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C.
What job, positions, and experiences have shaped and prepared you for your present role?
For the first eight years of my career, I worked in alumni affairs for two major research universities. In those positions, I learned about building life-long connections between individuals and institutions. I had the chance to coordinate some really amazing programs and events through which people became more engaged with their university.
When I moved to Washington, D.C., I felt God urging me to learn a new skill set. I had an opportunity to take a job as a fundraiser (something I never thought I would do), and felt that God was telling me I needed to learn this skill not only for the immediate work but also for something in the future. As with my alumni affairs work, I quickly learned that fundraising is all about building long-lasting, authentic relationships.
During my first few years as a fundraiser, I felt a call to study and eventually found myself in seminary. I completed a Master of Theological Education degree at Palmer Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in May 2012.
When I felt the initial call to seminary, I really didn’t know where it would lead. But, I knew it would be interesting. And, I was right! A chance meeting with the BJC’s general counsel after church one Sunday started a journey that led me to joining the staff as their director of development in August 2012.
What has inspired you along the way as you have lived out your calling?
Despite growing up a Christian, it was not until I was well into my 30s that I truly began to understand what the priesthood of all believers meant and how that might translate professionally. I grew up in a church tradition that made me believe there was a hierarchy of callings with missionaries, ministers, and pastors at the top, people in “helping professions” below that, and at the very bottom were “secular workers” such as business people and lawyers. Not feeling called to full-time vocational ministry, I never really considered my day-to-day work a “calling” or a way to glorify and worship God.
As I began my work in fundraising, I struggled with how my faith and daily work were connected. This struggle led me to seminary, where my theological education gave me a chance to understand more fully my own, unique calling. Seminary gave me time to focus on and wrestle with where my faith and daily work intersect and to consider how God might use my skills, experiences, and professional background for the building up of the Kingdom, the issues I am most passionate about, and the types of work and workplaces that bring me joy.
What I love about working in development in a Christian atmosphere is that I get to invite others to join in the work that God is doing through the BJC with their financial support and involvement.
What advice would you give to a teenage girl who is sensing a call to ministry?
My dream for every young woman is for her to have a deep sense of self-confidence and an understanding that it is okay to be who she is. God made us all so very unique, with amazing gifts, talents, ways to look at the world, passions, and more. I think it is so important for the church to affirm this in young women (and young men).
I would challenge young women to think beyond the sometimes limited understandings of “call” and “ministry” and recognize that they can serve God in a variety of professions and workplaces. I have the pleasure of serving with women who minister as lawyers, directors of communications, administrators, and more. I would like to see liberation in our thinking about calling and ministry, and I would like to see the church encourage young women to follow their deepest passions into whatever career that might lead.