Todd Salzwedel’s Journey to Ministry and Participation in the Entrepreneurial Pastors Group (Part 1) from TMF.
Rev. Todd Salzwedel, Senior Pastor at FUMC Odessa, came to ministry via economics and fights. It is an unusual combination to say the least, but, for Todd, it was exactly the combination of experiences he needed to be a more effective pastor.
Growing up, Todd’s mom was the spiritual leader of their home. She was passionate about church and was involved as much as possible in the life of their home congregation. During an unfortunate accident, she fell and 12% of her brain died as a result. His mother was no longer able to go to church or lead the way she was accustomed. Todd was only nine. It was a life shattering event that made him question why God would allow something like this to happen?
As he grew older, he was a self-described angry child, who disassociated himself from church until he was a teenager. As a teen, suddenly, he was being asked to lead the youth group, even though he had never really been a participant. He took on the challenge but was surprised when adults began encouraging him to think about ministry.
