JAM Newsletter: Ronny Marriott

Tell us about your calling to ministry. 

At age 18, I was discipled by my student pastor. It was during one of those meetings I felt the Lord calling me into full-time ministry. I loved the church and I loved working with people. One day, my student pastor asked me if I ever considered the idea God wanted to combine those two loves into ministry. After further conversations and prayer, I believed God was calling me into ministry and I accepted. I did not know exactly what type of ministry, but I did want my church to know of my calling. My student pastor suggested I “walk the aisle” one Sunday and pray at the altar. He suggested I lay a blank sheet of notebook paper on the altar and pray this prayer. “Lord, this blank paper represents my life. I am dedicating my life to serving you in ministry and I will trust you to fill in the blanks.” I did exactly that and then I got up off my knees and told my pastor about my calling. That was such a memorable moment for me. I have counseled many ministers to do the same thing when they felt called by God into full-time ministry.

Tell us about your family. 

I have been married to Robin for 33 years, and we have three children: Molly, Morgan, and Ryan. Molly and Morgan both graduated from HPU with degrees in Communications. Morgan played basketball for the Lady Jackets her freshman and sophomore years.

What is your favorite verse?

Matthew 11:28 

Who was your favorite HPU professor? 

I loved all of them, but Dr. Frankie Rainey had the most impact on my life. 

How has HPU shaped your ministry?

HPU has shaped my ministry by teaching me to be a critical thinker. I was challenged to pursue a deeper way to think about what I believe. The phrase, “HPU, where everybody is somebody” helped me to understand the importance of valuing people, all people. I experienced the old adage; “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” My professors taught me a lot, but what I remember most is how they treated me. They truly cared about me as a person and my success as a student. I learned ministry really is all about people, people created in the image of God. Ministry is tough and it is a passion for telling people about Jesus and helping them grow in the ways of Christ that motivates me to endure the difficulties of ministry. 

I was born in Salton, Texas outside of Lubbock, but moved to Mesquite, Texas before I started elementary school. I graduated from North Mesquite High School. I have served in various churches as student pastor at First Baptist Sydney, TX; Northlake Baptist in Dallas, TX; and Shady Oaks Baptist in Hurst, TX. I have also served as pastor of Sunset Canyon Baptist in Dripping Springs, TX; Shady Oaks Baptist, Hurst, TX; First Baptist Corpus Christi, TX; First Baptist Temple, TX; and currently First Baptist Burleson, TX.