| Personal Bio: |
| Garland Owensby began teaching at Southwestern in the Fall of 1998. He is the Youth and Student Ministries Professor and Coordinator for the school. He is dedicated to equipping young men and women for a lifetime of ministry to youth.Owensby was raised in the Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. He is married to Tiffani (Hester) and they have three sons, Austin (1997), and identical twins Bryson and Logan (2000).Prior to serving at Southwestern Garland ministered as a children’s/teen evangelist with Don Triplett and the Castillo del Rey team in El Salvador, Central America. Then he served in local church ministry, first as youth and children’s pastor at Northside Assembly of God, Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and then as youth pastor of First Assembly of God, Ocala, Florida.
Garland has earned a B.A. in Pastoral Ministries from Southeastern College of the Assemblies of God in Lakeland, Florida. He continued his education with a Master of Science in Practical Theology from Southwestern Assemblies of God University. In 2005 he completed a Doctor of Educational Ministries degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ft. Worth, TX. The doctoral project assisted students to incorporate classic spiritual disciplines into their lives. Owensby is active in evangelistic and teaching ministry speaking in churches, youth groups, public school assemblies, youth camps and conventions across the nation. His engaging, humorous and biblical preaching style has made him a favorite of churches. Garland also leads Marriage Enrichment seminars with an emphasis on discovering God’s gift in one’s spouse. The weekend is filled with laughter, inspiration, and practical teaching. Couples are encouraged and given the opportunity to renew their bond with one another utilizing the acronym C.A.R.E. Garland also frequently travels doing stand-up comedy! He has performed for groups of 20-2,000. His comedy can be heard on XM/Sirius satellite radio’s clean comedy station Laugh USA! and is also available most notably on iTunes and Amazon.com. Owensby has contributed to YouthWorker Journal, Youth Leader Magazine, The Ocala Star Banner, the Pentecostal Evangel, TheRomantic.com, The52.com, Momentum Leadership Training, The Evangel, and the book “Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks 3″ edited by Wayne Rice and to Group Magazine writing the feature article “Uncommon Communion.” Garland is available to speak for your youth services, volunteer leader training, seminars, retreats, sectional rallies, camps and consultation. If he can be of service, do not hesitate to contact him by visiting www.GarlandOwensby.com or gowensby@sagu.edu. |