WE ALL need a place to feel safe, a place where we can be ourselves. Landon Shelby recognizes that need. He and his fellow staff and church members are working to make Grace Baptist Church in Tullahoma a safe harbor for every explorer of the faith to feel welcome and valued.
Serving as the student pastor, Shelby meets with a young adult ministry (18-26) called Harvest on Monday nights, and together they tackle topics from a Biblical perspective. He also leads the younger students’ Refuge worship service on Wednesday nights and preaches a message that follows their Sunday morning life group curriculum. Both ministries are thriving.
“All glory goes to God,” Shelby said, “but I believe students enjoy Grace Baptist because of the authenticity they find when they walk in the door.”
The student ministries do not support cliques, bullying, or exclusion. Shelby aims for all students to realize how valuable they are.
“Every student matters,” he said, “but they matter even more to Jesus.”
While Shelby wants the students to feel comfortable, his greater desire is for them to move out of their comfort zone and into methods of ministering to other people. As writer John A. Sneed once said, “A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.”
One way Shelby helps launch students out of their comfort zone is by encouraging them to serve others on mission trips. Grace Baptist offers students unique opportunities to work with the Global Maritime Ministries. So far, the church has sent two mission trip teams to serve the nations in New Orleans. As of right now, at least three mission trips are planned for 2026.
Everyone involved with Global Maritime Ministries finds purpose in meeting the physical and emotional needs of seafarers and maritime workers. They spend time with them and do simple, yet necessary tasks, such as transporting them from the cargo ship to places like Walmart.
“The reality is the seafarers spend six to 11 months away from their families to import and export goods around the world,” Shelby said. “It is a difficult job that pushes people as hard as they can go. We are able to minister to them in a difficult season in their life.”
Shelby was going through a difficult season when he first became involved with Global Maritime Ministries. His father had passed away, and he was taking classes at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He applied to be a port chaplain in the Port of New Orleans. Global Maritime Ministries hired him and allowed him to be a seminary student by day and a missionary by night.
This ministry has been called the “fastest way to the ends of the Earth” due to the convergence of seafarers from all around the world, working together at the Port of New Orleans.
“While I met the physical needs of seafarers, I was ultimately able to meet their spiritual needs as well,” Shelby said. “During my time as port chaplain, God allowed me to lead 10 seafarers to a relationship with Jesus.”
Students who go on one or more of the Global Maritime Ministries will also have opportunities to share their faith.
“There is a stigma that only a pastor or older people can lead people to Christ or to lead in church,” Shelby said, “However, this generation of students is not the church of tomorrow. It is the church of today.”
In addition to the mission trips, the student ministries at Grace Baptist offer several other activities for 2026, such as Fuge Camp, X-Week, The Rally, and the winter conference.
Shelby said he is looking forward to all of them, but what he is most excited about is continuing to disciple students so they, too, can make disciples.
“I desire our students to not only be spiritually fed, but to be equipped to preach, to teach, and to lead others to Jesus.”
Shelby and his wife, Miko, who is now a nurse at Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital were high school sweethearts in Millington. Miko is also in nurse practitioner school at Middle Tennessee State University. They met while helping with their church’s Vacation Bible School. It was their student pastor, Jay Barbier, his mentor, who poured into Shelby’s life and helped guide him toward his calling.
While student ministry was key in preparing Shelby for the ministry, he had no idea that God would call him to work with teens and young adults.
“While in seminary, I told one of my best friends I would never be a student pastor. And the rest is history,” he said. “God has a sense of humor and will use you in ways you never thought possible.”
Shelby’s willingness to work in student ministry stems from his desire to obey the Great Commission, that is, to go and make disciples.
Just as sailors once relied on a “leading light” to guide their ships into port, people of all ages can help guide one another through difficult seasons, offering support and helping others find a safe place to land.
“As Christians, we have to remember this world is not our home. This world is extremely difficult,” Shelby said, “but if we trust and obey God’s word, we will have a peace that goes beyond all understanding.” GN
