I began my studies at Beeson in the fall of 1995. My Greek professor was Brent Kinman. Like many of us in the class, he was new to Beeson and Birmingham. At the end of the first day, he mentioned this fact and that he would love to play golf with anyone who was interested. As the class dismissed, I made my way to the front of the room along with two other students.

“Perfect,” I thought. “A foursome, and I’ll hopefully get some brownie points with my Greek professor.”

In that foursome was a fellow student named Tim Evans. Tim, like me, was a new student. Unlike me, Tim was a second-career student. He owned a couple of retail businesses located in Anniston, Alabama. He also had a wife, three young children and was actively serving in his church. Yet, he believed the Lord had called him into full-time ministry, and at 35 years old, enrolled at Besson.

Most Beeson students are aware of the “three plus one” rule in acquiring an MDiv. It generally takes three years plus one extra semester to get this degree. In our class, however, two students managed to attain this degree in three years. It required taking a full class load each semester, attending each Jan-term, as well as picking up a class or two in the summer. 

Tim was one of those students who finished his degree in three years.

Tim also registered for the most challenging classes offered at Beeson. I remember him asking me to take a class titled “Advanced Greek” with him. “No way,” I replied. “I did my three semesters of Greek and I’m done.” 

“What about ‘Theology of the Reformers’ with Dean George? I think that’ll be interesting.”

“You’re on your own with that one, Tim. I hear it’s one of the hardest classes offered.”

Tim managed to take these difficult classes, graduate in three years and did this while running two businesses, coaching his kid’s soccer teams, teaching a Sunday School class and all the other things required of a 30-something-year-old dad and husband. 

He also graduated with the highest GPA in our class. 

Tim was a model of faithfulness in his studies. 

Tragic News

During our years at Beeson, Tim would often say to me, “Hey, come on over and eat dinner with us tonight.” I was single, and my diet consisted mainly of Raman noodles. Tim’s wife, Dale, was an excellent cook. I would play with his kids while they prepared dinner. Tim and Dale were thankful to have a few minutes of uninterrupted adult conversation, and I was grateful to eat a meal that cost more than 79 cents. I enjoyed both the chaos and the wonderful fellowship with his family. 

Not long after graduation, I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. Tim remained in the Birmingham area; however, we stayed in touch. I remember well the day he called me to let me know that his wife, Dale, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at only 49 years old. She was the youngest person her doctor at UAB had ever diagnosed with this awful disease. 

Over the next 13 years, I talked with Tim often and, from afar, watched him faithfully care for his wife. I later moved to Macon, Georgia, and we would get together whenever I was in Birmingham or he was passing through middle Georgia. Typically, we would go a year or two between visits, and so I would witness a dramatic step in Dale’s decline with each new visit. In the early visits, she would recognize me but couldn’t call my name. In later visits, she was nearly non-verbal. Near the end of her life, she was bedridden and completely helpless.

Tim faithfully cared for her through every stage. Virtually every married person on the planet makes a vow of “in sickness and in health;” however, few of us face this kind of testing for this many years. Tim did and remained faithful to the vow he’d made on their wedding day. 

In July of 2018, I received a call from a mutual friend. Dale was finally healed of that awful disease. She had passed in her sleep the day before. The next day, I drove four hours to Birmingham, attended a celebration of her life, hugged Tim’s neck afterwards and returned home, thanking God for his example of a faithful husband.

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction 

Shortly after we graduated from Beeson in the spring of 1998, Centercrest Baptist Church called Tim to be their pastor. The church had experienced a season of slow decline, a not-too-uncommon reality in many churches today. Tim knew the church would need to make some ministry changes; however, he also knew the church would not thrive unless they were grounded in the Gospel. Tim determined, early in his ministry, to arm his congregation with good theology. We’ve had many conversations in which I’ve asked, “Tim, what are you preaching on these days?”

“I’m preaching through Romans.”

“Isn’t this the fourth time you’ve preached through Romans in the last few years?”

“Yes, but it’s the best way to give my people a foundation in the Gospel.”

The church eventually moved locations and changed its name to North Clay Baptist Church. Tim has faithfully pastored this congregation for nearly a quarter of a century. These days, it seems that pastors jump from one church or ministry to the next every couple of years. Not Tim. He’s officiated weddings, visited members in the hospital, sat through difficult deacon’s meetings, officiated funerals, counseled with couples on the brink of divorce and stayed through both the good times and the bad. 

This post was contributed by Kevin Mills, longtime friend of pastor and fellow Beeson alumnus, Tim Evans, in honor of his decades of service to the Lord and His church.

If there was ever a model of a faithful pastor, it’s Tim. 

About a year after Dale’s death, Tim met Ellen while they were both serving on a mission trip. They were married within the year. Those three young children I remember from my Beeson years are now grown, married and have children of their own. Two of them live in the Birmingham area. Tim is once again serving as a faithful husband, as well as experiencing the joys of being a faithful grandfather. 

If there’s anyone who will one day hear our Lord say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” it is certainly Tim. I’m thankful for his friendship and his model of faithfulness.

I would encourage you today to visit his church’s website. I hear he’s in the middle of a sermon series on Romans.