Terry Roberts

Dr. Terrell (Terry) Roberts was born in Charleston, South Carolina on August 17, 1949 to Udell and Grace Roberts. Terry's family moved to Jacksonville, Florida in 1950 and that is where Terry grew up. Raised in a Christian family and highly involved in his home church, Terry had a series of personal encounters with Jesus Christ that transformed his life and motivated him toward full time pastoral ministry. Upon graduation from Wolfson High School (Jacksonville), Terry began his ministerial training at Southeastern Bible College (now Southeastern University) in Lakeland, Florida, where he earned a B.A. in Ministry. At Southeastern, he also met the love of his life, the former Sandra Denham of Montgomery, Alabama. Terry and Sandra were married in January, 1969 and immediately accepted their first full-time ministry assignment as staff pastors in Panama City, Florida. From there, they served a number of churches in the Southeast, including an inner-city mission in New Orleans, LA. In 1987 Terry and Sandra founded Trinity Church in Columbia, South Carolina, where they continue to serve as lead pastor. Terry is also an executive presbyter with the Assemblies of God in South Carolina and an adjunct professor at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, his alma mater. Terry holds an M.A. in Bible from Columbia International University, and he earned his Doctor of Ministry in church leadership at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS) in 2014. Terry's doctoral thesis concerns a racial reconciliation theme, an issue very close to his heart. The particular emphasis of his dissertation focuses on how to encourage and facilitate interracial fellowship within a local church. In 2019, Terry distilled his doctoral research on interracial fellowship into a popular reading style and published it under the title Beyond Reconciliation: Experiencing Koinonia across the Racial Divide. This book also contains a Facilitator's Guide for "Journey to Koinonia," a six-week, interracial small group experience. Pastoral transition is another subject Terry has written about. His first Amazon book, Passing the Baton: Planning for Pastoral Transition, tells the stories and explains the components of successful transitions. Having seen the best and worst examples of pastoral changes over many years of ministry, Terry believes pastors and churches can follow winning strategies that make leadership transition a blessing rather than a curse. Five Timeless Truths (and Why They Still Matter) is another of Terry's titles. This book presents the five essential components of the Gospel as timeless truths everyone should know and embrace in order to experience life in its fullness. These truths can inform a sermon series or a Bible study for youth or adults. It is also an excellent tool to guide parents in conversations with their children about God's plan of salvation as well as certain controversial issues of our day. Terry and Sandra have a daughter and son-in-law who work as educators. They also have 13-year-old grand-twins whom they enjoy immensely. Terry's hobbies include reading, music, and home improvement projects.