Name: Tracy D. Cook
Graduation Year: 1987
Major: Bible
Current Position: Lead Pastor, Columbia First Assembly of God
City and State: Columbia MO
Tell us about your career and what you do now.
I have been pastoring the church I grew up in for the last 16 years. I am serving as Assistant Superintendent of the Northern Missouri District of the AG, and as an AG General Presbyter.
What is your favorite memory from CBC?
If I had to pick one, it would be the night the Lord confirmed the calling He had placed on my life to full-time vocational ministry. It was Spiritual Emphasis week at the beginning of the fall semester, 1983, and Bob Schmidgall was preaching. Tremendous and powerful experience in the CBC chapel altars that night! And seven years later, Bob Schmidgall was preaching again at Indiana District Council in Elkhart, IN, when I was ordained in 1990.
How did CBC help you identify/develop your calling?
In multiple ways: through the awesome professors teaching and mentoring, the constant flow of anointed and top-notch chapel speakers, and through the day-to-day interaction with like-minded students in the dorms.
How did your experience at CBC prepare you for life after graduation?
- By giving me a solid Biblical foundation.
- Experiencing the influence of men and women of God in the classroom and pulpit.
- Learning to deal with a variety of social experiences in the dorms and throughout the campus.
What advice would you give a current student preparing for the workforce?
For full-time ministry: Get to a solid AG Bible College/University!
For other vocations: Get your education at a solid AG College/University!
What would you look for if you were in a position to hire a new graduate?
Heart, character, spiritual maturity, willingness to learn, team player, and a love for Jesus.