As of February 2026, Tim Ford has finished the ECU Teaching Residency Program, passed the EDTPA, and received a teaching license from the NCDPI.  Tim began his teaching career in August 2023 and was hired by Craven County Schools as an Art Teacher at West Craven Middle School. 

 

In Jan 2023, Tim was appointed to the Global Methodist Denomination as lead pastor to two churches: the Belgrade Church and the Tabernacle Church.  Tim remained a pastor until June 2023, as he felt God calling him back home and leading him into teaching, where he can pour into the amazing students at West Craven Middle School.

 

In 2019, Tim transferred to the North Carolina United Methodist Conference from Oklahoma, where he was appointed lead pastor of two churches in Maysville, NC.  It was there, Tim was honored as a pillar of the community for his work with the local community center and local food ministry.

 

Prior to this appointment, Tim served part-time as the Associate Pastor and as the part-time Youth Director for First United Methodist Church in Durant, OK, and Caddo, OK campuses for three years. 

 

In 2016, he received his Pastor’s license after completing his Local Pastor’s training through the Oklahoma UMC Conference and was first appointed in Feb 2016.

 

For over three years, he took on the role of the preaching pastor for the contemporary service at the Durant campus. Prior to this role, he served as part-time Youth Director for four years and part-time College Director at the Wesley Campus Ministry of Southeastern Oklahoma State University for three years.

 

When moving to Oklahoma in 2012, Tim continued his leadership in ministry by building up the church through discipleship making and leading ministries in the church and community.

 

Of the more notable projects while in Oklahoma, Tim implemented the Powerhouse after-school ministry in the communities of Caddo, Calera, Bennington, and Durant. He also developed a Sunday night youth worship service that incorporated all of the area's after-school programs to bring churches together in unity. This included working with the brothers and sisters of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference (OIMC) and one of their churches in Bennington, OK.

 

Tim served on the District Missional Strategy Team for two years, on the Board of Directors of the Wesley Campus Ministry at Southeastern Oklahoma State University for one year, and on the board of a local nonprofit agency called Families Feeding Families, which served as the community's soup kitchen.

 

Tim draws on his advertising experience and implements vision and direction for many of the ministries he leads. He always finds time to build relationships, make disciples, and point others to Christ. He brings passion, purpose, vision, and a heart for God to everything he does.

 

Before working in Oklahoma, he served for over 11 years in student ministry as an unpaid leader at Covenant United Methodist Church in Winterville, NC, from 2001 to 2012.

 

From 1997-2012, Tim was a designer, art director, and creative director at two full-service advertising agencies based in Greenville, NC. He has 15 years of experience and has worked with many clients across the country.

 

He studied graphic design at East Carolina University and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Arts/Graphic Design in 1997. He also taught illustration at the local community college.

 

Of all these things, Tim would say his marriage to his beautiful bride, Shelly, and his two amazing kids, Michael (36) and Amanda (31) are truly a gift and blessing from God.