By Maggie Edwards 

It’s never too late to answer God’s call to ministry. 

Just ask Tuscaloosa County’s Jim Lavender. The 58-year-old cattle farmer and retired agricultural-business owner began his preaching career at 53.

“Sharing faith and leading others to faith shaped my life,” said Lavender, who was raised attending Moundville Methodist Church. “Looking back, I see the Lord was preparing me for this through my life experiences. I have served in leadership roles at my own church as a lay leader and lay speaker.”

Lavender enrolled at Wesley Biblical Seminary in 2024 and is working to become an ordained minister. Meanwhile, he’s seeking wisdom from the Good Book to share on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights at Pondville Methodist Church and Brent Methodist Church. 

His late-in-life journey to the pulpit is proof the Lord never stops working in someone’s life, Lavender said. It’s reminiscent of some heroes of the faith, he added.

“Moses was 80 when he went before Pharaoh, and Abraham was in his 70s when he started heading toward the Promised Land,” Lavender said. “If I had done this in my 20s, it wouldn’t have been the right thing. I can connect to my congregation because of the things I have lived through.”

Relationships are key for Lavender, who enjoys bonding with others through shared faith. 

“We’re called to gather together,” Lavender said. “I minister to people in good and bad times.”

Alabama Farmers Federation Area 6 Organization Director Mac Higginbotham said it’s fitting to see Lavender pursue a new career proclaiming the Good News.

“Preaching has a similar mission to the Federation,” Higginbotham said. “People in the agricultural community get their strength through relationships. The Federation is rooted in faith, family and farming — much like Jim’s approach to ministry.” 

Agricultural roots run deep for Lavender, too. He grew up on his family’s sixth-generation farm, which has included poultry, cotton and cattle over the years. 

“Farming is in my blood,” said Lavender, a member of the Federation State Beef Committee and Tuscaloosa County Farmers Federation board. “Growing up, it was all I ever dreamed about. I’ve learned farmers must put themselves at the mercy of the Lord with weather and commodity prices. You’ve got to have a lot of faith.” 

Combining farming and preaching is important for Lavender.

“I use my ag background in sermon illustrations,” he said. “There are a lot of things in the Bible that relate. The past few months, I have seen baby calves being born on the farm. That’s life coming into the world. There’s no way someone can watch that and not believe there is a divine creator.”