Darrin Patrick (December 4, 1970 – May 7, 2020) was an American author and teaching pastor at
Seacoast Church
Seacoast is an non-denominational evangelical multi-site megachurch located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, a suburb of Charleston. It has thirteen different locations around South Carolina and North Carolina. It is a member of the Association ...
in
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
. He was a pastor of
The Journey The Journey may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Journey'' (1942 film), or ''El viaje'', an Argentine film
* ''The Journey'' (1959 film), an American drama starring Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner, and Jason Robards about the Hungarian Revoluti ...
, a fellowship of churches in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
, which he founded in 2002. He served as the chaplain to the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...
and was the author of several books. A prominent figure within
New Calvinism
New Calvinism, also known as the Young, Restless, and Reformed Movement, is a new religious movement within conservative Evangelicalism that reinterprets 16th-century Calvinism under contemporary values and ideologies.
History
The movement star ...
, he was the vice-president of the
Acts 29 Network
Acts 29 is a global family of church planting churches that adheres to Calvinist theology. It derives its name from the Book of Acts in the New Testament, which has 28 chapters, making Acts 29 the "next chapter" in the history of the church. A n ...
, an international
church planting
Church planting is a term referring to the process (mostly in Protestant frameworks) that results in a new local Christian congregation being established. It should be distinguished from church development, where a new service, worship center or ...
organization, and a council member of
The Gospel Coalition
The Gospel Coalition, or TGC, is a union of evangelical and Reformed churches.
History
It was founded in 2005 by theologian D. A. Carson and pastor Tim Keller. TGC describe their mission as being “deeply committed to renewing our faith ...
.
He died by suicide in May 2020.
Personal background
Patrick was born in
Marion, Illinois
Marion is a city in Williamson and Johnson Counties, Illinois, United States, and is the county seat of Williamson County. The population was 16,855 at the 2020 census. It is part of a dispersed urban area that developed out of the early 20th ...
. He became a Christian while in high school, where he was an all-conference, all-area catcher on the baseball team. After beginning a successful ministry in high school, he pursued pastoral training rather than a college baseball career. He earned a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in Bible and Biblical Languages from
Southwest Baptist University
Southwest Baptist University (SBU) is a private Baptist university in Bolivar, Missouri. It is affiliated with the Missouri Baptist Convention, which is part of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 2019, it had a total enrollment of 3,280 student ...
(1994), graduated summa cum laude from
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Kansas City, Missouri. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary also houses an undergraduate college, Spur ...
(
M.Div.
For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and di ...
, 1997), and received a
Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (abbreviated DMin or D.Min.) is a professional doctorate, often including a research component, that may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in some form of ministry. It is categorized as an advanced ...
degree from
Covenant Theological Seminary
Covenant Theological Seminary, informally called Covenant Seminary, is the denominational seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, it trains people to work as leaders in church positions and elsewher ...
(2010). He married in 1993 and had four children.
Ministry
Patrick moved from suburban
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
to St. Louis in 2002 to plant The Journey in the urban core. The church has seen unprecedented growth in the city of St. Louis and the broader metropolitan region. The Journey is now a multi-site ministry with 6 churches in Missouri and Illinois, including Patrick's hometown of Marion. The church has been scrutinized for its cultural engagement by the
Missouri Baptist Convention
The Missouri Baptist Convention is the state convention of Southern Baptists in Missouri. Headquartered in Jefferson City, it operates as a network of nearly 1,800 independent Southern Baptist churches, which are divided into eight regions and 60 ...
and received national media attention regarding one of its outreach ministries, "Theology at the Bottleworks," for being held at
Schlafly Bottleworks, a brewery in Maplewood, MO.
In his role as the chaplain to the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...
, Patrick regularly led chapel services and Bible studies during the baseball season. He was present for the players either before or after home games. Shortly after the end of the 2013 season, Patrick officiated the wedding of Cardinals pitcher
Shelby Miller
Shelby Charles Miller (born October 10, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondba ...
. As a chaplain, Patrick was a part of
Baseball Chapel, an international ministry recognized by Major and Minor League Baseball, which is responsible for the appointment and oversight of all team chapel leaders (over 500 throughout professional baseball).
Patrick was a vice-president of the
Acts 29 Network
Acts 29 is a global family of church planting churches that adheres to Calvinist theology. It derives its name from the Book of Acts in the New Testament, which has 28 chapters, making Acts 29 the "next chapter" in the history of the church. A n ...
, and was a council member of
The Gospel Coalition
The Gospel Coalition, or TGC, is a union of evangelical and Reformed churches.
History
It was founded in 2005 by theologian D. A. Carson and pastor Tim Keller. TGC describe their mission as being “deeply committed to renewing our faith ...
, a group of Reformed Evangelical leaders from around the United States, including
D. A. Carson,
Tim Keller, and
John Piper. He has written for
Christianity Today
''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...
and ''The Leadership Journal'', and contributed to The Resurgence blog. He has been interviewed by
The Christian Post
''The Christian Post'' is an American nondenominational Christianity, non-denominational, Conservatism, conservative, Evangelicalism, evangelical Christian media, Christian online newspaper. Based in Washington, D.C., it was founded in March 200 ...
. He has also appeared on
Fox & Friends
''Fox & Friends'' is an American daily morning news and talk program that airs on Fox News. It premiered on February 1, 1998, and is currently hosted by Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade on weekdays. Will Cain, Rachel Campos-Du ...
, and has been discussed by
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
, the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-Dem ...
, and
BBC News Online
BBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. It is one of the most popular news websites, with 1.2 billion website visits in April 2021, as well as being used by 60% of the U ...
.
Removal from ministry
On April 13, 2016, it was announced that the Board of Elders of The Journey had removed Patrick from his position and required him to step down from all internal and external leadership positions. The reasons given were "pastoral misconduct" and a "historical pattern of sin". A letter from the elders made it clear that the misconduct did not involve adultery, but there was a violation of the "high standard for elders in marriage through inappropriate meetings, conversations, and phone calls with two women". In addition, the historical sins were listed and included lack of self-control, manipulation and lying, domineering, misuse of power, and refusal of personal accountability. The elders indicated that they had raised these issues with Patrick over a period of a few years, but he had repeatedly failed to address them. Patrick's name was removed from
The Gospel Coalition
The Gospel Coalition, or TGC, is a union of evangelical and Reformed churches.
History
It was founded in 2005 by theologian D. A. Carson and pastor Tim Keller. TGC describe their mission as being “deeply committed to renewing our faith ...
's council and the board of directors of the
Acts 29 Network
Acts 29 is a global family of church planting churches that adheres to Calvinist theology. It derives its name from the Book of Acts in the New Testament, which has 28 chapters, making Acts 29 the "next chapter" in the history of the church. A n ...
. His disciplining was reported in the Christian press. In a conference in Las Vegas, in 2017, Patrick talked about the lessons he learned in losing his church.
Restoration to ministry
After a restoration process led by
Seacoast Church
Seacoast is an non-denominational evangelical multi-site megachurch located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, a suburb of Charleston. It has thirteen different locations around South Carolina and North Carolina. It is a member of the Association ...
Founding Pastor Greg Surratt, Patrick joined the staff of Seacoast in June 2017 as a teaching pastor. He cofounded The Pastors Collective podcast with Greg Surratt in 2019. Patrick led Enneagram intensives as a coach through Crosspoint Ministries. He also worked with The Association of Related Churches (ARC), coaching pastors on building a healthy culture.
Death
Patrick died on May 7, 2020 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound while target shooting.
Books
*
*
*
*
*Patrick, Darrin; Amie Patrick (2015). ''The Dude's Guide to Marriage: Ten Skills Every Husband Must Develop to Love His Wife Well.'' Thomas Nelson. ISBN 978-1-4002-0549-3.
Contributions
*
*
References
External links
Seacoast Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patrick, Darrin
1970 births
2020 deaths
People from Marion, Illinois
Writers from Illinois
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary alumni
Southwest Baptist University alumni
Suicides by firearm in Missouri
Place of death missing
American evangelicals
American Protestant ministers and clergy
Covenant Theological Seminary alumni
2020 suicides