“I was simply trying to work unto the Lord as the Scriptures say, and the Lord was just opening doors,” Aikens said. “It was less of a drive but really who I had become as a person. God has done so much for me that I could never repay Him, but my drive was to try to please Him.”
After years of this hard-working attitude, Aikens said he experienced a change of heart fueling his desire to pursue a call to ministry.
“I came to realize that my desire had changed, and advancing in my current work wasn’t as important to me,” he said.
Over the course of eight years, from 2010-2018, he consistently applied for pastoral positions while finishing his education at Gateway and attending Mt. Zion, which he joined in 2010. He joined Mt. Zion with the intention of serving there a short time until he found pastoral work at another church.
But after years of searching turned up nothing for Aikens, Mt. Zion approached him about pastoring a church plant. Aikens retired from his job and became pastor of Mt. Zion’s South Campus in 2018.
“I share with many different people how much of a blessing Gateway was to me,” Aikens said. “The work at Gateway was meaningful and based on things you are going to use in ministry. It was a blessing to me, and I’ve tried to get as many to attend as I can.”
Aikens is now the pastor of Gateway President Jeff Iorg and his wife, who are part of the Mt. Zion South Campus congregation. Iorg said he was glad for Aikens to share his story in chapel.
“Kelvin is a dramatic redemption and restoration story,” Iorg said. “He has progressed from prison to executive leadership to pastoral ministry, and his maturity and humility further demonstrate the authenticity of his restoration. His personal example is both an inspiration and an example of sanctification over a lifetime.”
Aikens emphasized to Baptist Press that one of the focal points of his ministry has become making sure his congregation has a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.
“When I accepted Christ I was serious, and I knew my old life of crime was over and it was going to be different,” Aikens said. “I believe one of Satan’s greatest weapons is to have you believe that you’re saved but you’re not. If you believe you’re saved, you don’t need a Savior.
“For anyone who may be struggling in any way, I would advise you to truly resolve in your heart what you are going to do different, and then pray and ask God to help you find a church to not just attend but be involved with.”
This article originally appeared here.
