Jeremy Sims
5 min read ⭑
“After 25 years of pastoring, I’ve seen how a thin ecclesiology leads to a thin pastoral theology. But pastors are more than teachers — they reveal, declare and enact the Spirit’s work through the church.”
After 25 years of pastoring in the local church, Jeremy Sims now teaches pastoral theology at Southeastern University, where he equips the next generation of ministry leaders. His first book, Easy as Hard Gets, details his family’s journey after his first wife, Tiffanni, was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. He’s also the author of What Is Spiritual Direction, co-written with his wife, Hannah, and The Way of the Spirit. Today, you’ll hear about his enthusiasm for escape rooms, his delight in seeing pastors transformed in the classroom, and the traditional texts and historical authors that have impacted his spiritual growth.
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
Food is always about more than food; it’s also about home and people and love. So how does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind your web bio?
For me, home is Birmingham, Alabama, where the food scene became a lifeline. About a decade ago, during my first wife’s illness, a friend invited me to escape for a meal. That outing became a ritual — an anchor — revealing how deeply food and community could hold me.
Birmingham is a hidden gem, boasting five James Beard winners and now Michelin-recognized. One of my favorites is Hot and Hot Fish Club, where my wife, Hannah, and I recently shared an unforgettable evening. Chef Chris Hastings, a James Beard winner, joined us at our table. We talked for 20 minutes — food, life, home. It’s more than a meal. It’s a taste of who I’ve become: someone who finds belonging in breaking bread, even when life is complex.
Paris Bilal; Unsplash+
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
What “nonspiritual” activity have you found to be quite spiritual, after all? What quirky proclivity, out-of-the-way interest or unexpected pursuit refreshes your soul?
Over the past three years, Hannah and I have become escape room enthusiasts. We’ve tackled over 50 rooms in various cities, and each one is a quirky dive into imagination. Great escape rooms even have live actors, making the experience fully immersive. It’s like stepping into another world where puzzles, teamwork and imagination collide. It’s not just a game; it’s a relational, creative adventure.
Honestly, I think of it as the next evolution of our love for board games (we have over 200!) In these moments, we get lost, yet I often find God in the joy of wonder and collaboration. It reminds me: sometimes, the most sacred is found in play.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness; every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re all broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you confront its power?
My greatest kryptonite is the black hole of affirmation. For years, after every sermon or lecture, I’d wrestle with an unspoken need for acceptance, sometimes even shaping conversations to fill it. It caused anguish, this endless striving. But God met me in nature over several years, revealing that I don’t need to earn worth. The more I brought that hunger into the open, the more God could fill it. And slowly, the black hole lost its power.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?
I’m writing a Pastoral Theology course for undergrads at Southeastern University. After 25 years of pastoring, I’ve seen how a thin ecclesiology leads to a thin pastoral theology. But pastors are more than teachers — they reveal, declare and enact the Spirit’s work through the church.
I’m a firm believer that Christ is realized through his body. So this course is about building a deep ecclesiology and wide pastoral vision and equipping future pastors to embody the Spirit’s mission in the world. It’s an exciting labor of love.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Whether we’re cashiers or CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need God’s love flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
What invigorates me most is the classroom. Over the last three years, I’ve led master’s and doctoral programs in ministry. It’s not just about the Spirit working through pastors as tools but watching the Spirit come alive in them. I’ve seen pastors transformed, not just equipped. Our motto is “transformation in you, then through you.” Yes, they’ll use what they learn to preach or lead, but the true miracle is when these programs become an invitation into God’s heart first for pastors themselves.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you in this season?
As a cradle Pentecostal, I grew up without deep roots in historic traditions. But in the last decade, the liturgical calendar and “Book of Common Prayer” have transformed my spiritual practice. Praying ancient prayers and reading the texts of the Daily Office, knowing millions of Christians are praying and reading with me, is deeply enlivening. I no longer have to create everything myself; instead, I’m guided by a rooted, historic faith.
This practice has brought freedom and grounded me in something ancient yet alive. Like Jaroslav Pelikan says, “Tradition is the living faith of the dead, and traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.”
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top three resources stand out to you? What changed reality and changed your heart?
The liturgical calendar reoriented my faith, grounding my year in sacred rhythms. The Book of Common Prayer gave me words when I had none, connecting me to a global communion. And Teresa of Ávila’s “The Interior Castle” opened my heart to contemplative depth, teaching me to explore the soul’s journey.
Certain things can be godsends, helping us survive, even thrive, in our fast-paced world. Does technology ever help you this way? Has an app ever boosted your spiritual growth? If so, how?
In recent years, I’ve intentionally stepped away from tech during my devotional times, returning to pen, paper and a leather-bound Bible. I savor the quiet, with only birds for music. Yet tech still plays a role: I listen weekly to lectionary-based sermons (since my local church doesn’t use it) and a few favorite podcasts. It’s been a journey of balance — embracing simplicity while still letting digital tools speak into my week.
QUESTION #8: dream
God’s continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
Lately, what’s stirring in me is a deep joy in reading the ancient, classic texts of the Christian tradition. I’m realizing I have a growing capacity to engage with them, whether it’s ecclesiology, pastoral theology or, especially, spiritual formation. I’m leaning into the wisdom of the Christian mystics and the saints of old. It’s like discovering a long-lost family, and I’m eager to see how this shapes what’s ahead.
The past has much to teach us — and so do our spiritual mothers and fathers. From biblical heroes to early church apostles, mystics and historical saints, God has placed guides throughout the ages to mentor us and show us further depths of communion with Jesus. Which men and women throughout history have you learned the most from? What spiritual truths have you gleaned from them that have transformed your life?
Jeremy Sims is a professor of spiritual formation and a longtime pastor who now equips leaders at Southeastern University. After 25 years in local church ministry, his work centers on helping pastors experience transformation in themselves before leading it in others. His teaching and writing focus on pastoral theology, the life of the local church and the work of the Holy Spirit in formation. Jeremy lives in Lakeland, Florida, with his wife, Hannah, and their five children. He enjoys great food, immersive escape rooms and meaningful conversation that lingers long after the meal ends.