My first introduction to ministry was participating in the ARISE program with David Asscherick and Nathan Renner. When I preached my very first sermon as a part of our homiletics class, I was pretty sure it was the worst sermon that had ever been preached, which was pretty disappointing considering the fact that I had stayed up till 3:00 in the morning working on it the night before. I think that’s the last sermon I am ever going to preach, I thought to myself as I took my seat in one the chapel pews.

As if my own thoughts weren’t tormenting enough, all of my classmates started passing me their written evaluations. I was almost too discouraged to read them but as I flipped through them, I noticed that one of them had a note written off to the side. The note said, “Your sermon gave me hope for my brother.” In an instant, I went from feeling like I was carrying a thousand pounds to feeling like I was floating in the clouds! My next thoughts were, I want to do this for the rest of my life.

At that point in my life, becoming a pastor was far from my mind. Being a pastor sounded hard and I didn’t think I had what it took. God has His ways though. . . .

So my journey into ministry began. It is an amazing privilege to bring hope into peoples’ lives – I’ve found it addictive. The more I preached the more I fell in love with it. When I went to my pastor asking for more opportunities to speak, he encouraged me to go to school to study theology.

So after five years of Teología at River Plate Adventist University in Argentina – which included a semester in Brazil for an Evangelism Practicum – and a semester in India for a Missionary Practicum, I was excited to begin full-time ministry. Then I was hired by the Iowa-Missouri Conference and immediately sent (by my choice) to China as a missionary for a year. This year “alone” in China humbled me immensely. I understood the frailty of my humanity like never before. In hindsight, I can see it was the perfect preparation for pastoral ministry.

Now, here’s a bit about my personal life. I have now been pastoring for a little more than 10 years – 4 1/2 years in Iowa, 5 years in Colorado and now several months in Montana. I am still confronted with my weaknesses and inadequacies on a daily basis, but God is faithful. He is the Author and the Finisher of my faith and work. He has called me to participate in the greatest rescue mission the universe has ever seen and I consider it a tremendous privilege to be able to share the Gospel of Hope with a hungry world. 

I have been married to a wonderful, ministry-minded woman for 7 years now. We have an amazing little four-year-year boy. My wife, Michelle Boothby Cranson, is a gifted speaker and has a tremendous heart for people. She previously worked for the Montana conference, speaking in churches about GLOW tract ministry. We recently gave a marriage seminar together and look forward to more opportunities to do ministry together. I enjoy rock climbing, basketball, fly fishing and film-making / photography. Montana has a lot to offer in these areas, which is great. Feel free to check out my YouTube channel: @‌n8cranson937.

My prayer is that every church member would come to know the Gospel of Jesus Christ on a personal level and that it would so impact their lives that they would become lifelong disciples who in turn make more disciples. Our mission as believers can be summed up in two words:

• Evangelism (from the Greek word euangelizō meaning “preach the Gospel”): because we all need HOPE! We need assurance, we need power – we need Jesus.

• Discipleship: because we all need HELP! We need community; we need mentors and support systems, we need instruction in righteousness – we need the church.

I would like to say to all believers out there: do not be discouraged or distracted. A community built on the Gospel is a powerful force for good. It has and will change the world; and more importantly, it will prepare us for the world to come. I will end with three verses and a quote from Ellen White.

• “Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.” (Revelation 14:6)

• The proclamation of these messages is our work. We are to allow nothing else to absorb our attention.” (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, p. 19)

• “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

• Finally, my wife’s favorite verse, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58, ESV)