A Candid Interview About the Blessings and Heartaches of Ministry
Joshua and Kimberly Hampton cannot remember life without ministry. Preachers’ kids who followed their parents into the ministry themselves, their entire lives have been centered around Christ and the church and the people they serve. Their own journey in ministry has taken them from pastoring to church planting with North American Ministries, and most recently, into the ministry of chaplaincy. In a candid interview, this remarkable couple opens up about their lifelong ministry adventure.
How did you come to understand God’s calling on your lives?
Joshua: Kimberly and I were both Free Will Baptist preachers’ kids, and we both had a front row seat to see how faithful service and commitment looked. Both sets of parents modeled this lifestyle for us. Responding to God’s calling on our lives came second nature to us because we witnessed their faithful obedience throughout our childhood.
Who most influenced your understanding of what it means to be called by God in living out your faith in relationship with others?
Joshua: Once again, I would say my dad influenced me when it came to discerning God’s calling on my life. I have seen this faith lived out from generation to generation in my family, from my grandfather, Ralph Hampton, to my father, Clayton. Now, I am trying to continue living out this generational cycle by modeling faithful obedience for my family as well.
Joshua, can you share about your call to full-time ministry?
I answered the call to preach as a young teenager at a Monday night youth service at the National Convention in Anaheim, California. In 2007, shortly after Kimberly and I were married, I fully surrendered to God’s calling to full-time ministry. This was not just my commitment; it was our commitment to serve God wherever He called us: Alabama, Tennessee, Montana, and now the U.S. Navy.
Kimberly, how did you discern your role in that calling?
When Josh and I were dating, we talked a lot about church planting and our desire to see churches planted where there was truly a need. We both said then, “If God is calling us into church planting one day, we pray it will be where there are few Free Will Baptist churches, so we can help expand the Kingdom.” When we were having these conversations, I never really knew how much God was already moving in our lives and preparing us for the journey ahead. From those first conversations, God has continued to move our hearts toward “going.”
What did God’s calling look like as you entered marriage together? How did your
understanding of that calling grow or change as you became parents?
Kimberly: When we first married, we sensed God’s calling primarily as a call to build a Christ-centered home and to serve Him side-by-side. It meant learning to love each other sacrificially, making decisions together in prayer, and viewing our marriage as something God could use to bless others, not just ourselves.
When we became parents, our understanding of God’s calling expanded. It wasn’t just about our marriage anymore, but about shaping a family that points our children to Christ. We realized God wasn’t calling us to be perfect parents but faithful parents — repenting when we fail, asking for help, and creating a home where God’s presence, grace, and truth are real. Our calling became less about what we could accomplish and more about who we were becoming in Him, together with our kids.
Did you both sense a calling to church planting at the same time?
Joshua: While dating, I told Kimberly I felt God might be calling me into church planting just like my dad. From that first moment, Kimberly has been 100% supportive of church planting and going wherever God called us to go.
How did the call to church planting shape your marriage, your family rhythms, and your approach to discipling others?
Both: We were forced to clarify we were not just “married to each other” but “called together” to a specific work. Even now we must ask regularly, “Are we still saying yes to this together?” We make big decisions (moves, jobs, finances) in unity and prayer, not just by whatever is easiest.
The vulnerability of starting something from nothing exposed our fears, insecurities, and idols. It pushed us to pray together more, not just individually, taking our financial concerns, struggles with relationships, and vision questions to God as a couple.
We learned to see our home as a “base of mission,” not a separate world from church. That meant things like regularly opening our home for meals, small groups, or informal hangouts and letting our kids see and participate (in age-appropriate ways) in hospitality and serving.
At the same time, we also learned that because ministry can become all-consuming, we had to be intentional about:
Sabbath rhythms (a weekly day with no church work).
Family nights where our kids received undivided attention .
Expressing clear signals to our kids that they were not in competition with the church for our love and time.
We also realized our “primary discipleship responsibility” was our own children, so we established these simple daily practices:
Simple family devotions or prayer times.
Talking about where we saw God at work at church and in daily life.
Letting our kids see us repent, reconcile, and depend on God, so the gospel felt real, not just something they heard at church.
What emotions or questions did you experience when you began sensing God’s calling toward the chaplaincy?
Joshua: “Why us? Why now? Isn’t there someone else?” Summit Church currently has so much momentum, and we were closing in on our goal of becoming self-supporting. To be frank, this just did not fit into my timeline. But the more we wrestled with this calling, God made it clear He wanted us to serve in the chaplaincy.
Kimberly, what was your initial reaction to this call to the chaplaincy?
I always knew Josh felt “called to serve.” From our first date in 2006, it was clear he felt it was something he was supposed to do. I selfishly didn’t want it to happen, especially not now. Yet even though I selfishly wanted to say no, I knew God was leading us towards chaplaincy, and that this would be an amazing opportunity to live out God’s calling for our children to see. That does not mean it is easy, but our goal is always to be in the center of God’s will for our family, and the chaplaincy is that.
Did God use particular people or
experiences
to help confirm this chaplaincy calling?
Joshua: I have known Chaplain Terry Austin since I was 12 years old. He attended our church plant in Clarksville, Tennessee, while stationed at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. I did not realize it at the time, but Bro. Terry had a huge influence on my calling. Over the last 14 months, he has walked beside me through this process, helping me discern God’s will.
What sacrifices came with answering this latest step in God’s call?
Kimberly: The hardest sacrifice is seeing our kids have to say goodbye. Summit Church finally has a thriving youth group that meets weekly and has monthly activities. Taylor and Colton absolutely love it. Now, they are giving it up to follow their dad into the Navy. They are being great sports about it, but I know they will miss it. This is probably the most bittersweet part — all those tough early years with no kids’ classes or youth activities — and when we finally reached that point, God is calling us to move.
What fruit have you seen from walking in obedience to God’s calling?
Joshua: We have seen so many volunteers at Summit Church step up. It has been amazing to see the church rally around Pastor Clayton and step up their leadership. We have been amazed to see how God is already using this step to further His Kingdom at Summit.
What would you say to a young person who wants to follow the Lord faithfully but isn’t sure where to start?
Joshua: Early in our marriage, Kimberly and I “put our yes on the table for Jesus.” (We still talk about this with our kids today.) We told God yes to anything He wants us to do, and we don’t pick and choose. We just say, “Yes, Lord, whatever you need from us; we will do it.” I advise any young person to do the same. It’s not so much what God wants us to do but our attitude as we do it. I encourage them to just say yes to Jesus and worry about the details later.
As you look ahead, how do you pray for God to use you in whatever comes next?
Joshua: I pray God will give me and my family the strength and courage to share the love of Christ everywhere we go and that we will continue to faithfully serve Him wherever He takes us.
Learn more about Joshua, Kimberly, and the ministry of Free Will Baptist chaplains at fwbnam.com/chaplaincy/.
