Three Pastors Ordained to Ministry During the 2026 KYTN Camp Meeting

During the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference annual Camp Meeting on Saturday, May 23, 2026, family and friends joined with Conference administrative officers at the Highland, Tenn., Church to commemorate the ordination of Christopher Trent, David Jahn and Jacob Strang.

Christopher Trent

Christopher Lee Trent was born in Logan County, West Virginia, and raised in Matewan, a town known for its rich history and deep roots. He is connected to the Hatfield family through Valentine Wall Hatfield, his fifth great-grandfather. Though he was raised with an awareness of God through the influence of his grandparents, Christopher spent much of his early life pursuing fulfillment through worldly success and personal ambition.

As a full-time tattoo artist, he experienced financial success but found himself grappling with an inner void that material achievements could not satisfy. His life began to change when his wife, Rebecca, gave her life to Christ and began studying Scripture. Through her witness and his own search for truth, Christopher encountered biblical teachings that revealed both his need for a Savior and the sufficiency of Jesus Christ to meet that need.

After surrendering his life to Christ, he sensed a clear calling to share the gospel. Following his baptism, Christopher and his wife attended Emmanuel Institute of Evangelism, where they equipped themselves for ministry. He later earned a degree in Religion with an emphasis in evangelism from Liberty University.

Christopher served as a Bible worker in the Mountain View Conference and was later called into pastoral ministry. Today, he faithfully serves in the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, committed to proclaiming Christ and leading others to experience the transforming power of His grace.

David Jahn

David Jahn was born in Prineville, Oregon, and moved away at the age of two. His call to ministry did not come until his sophomore year of college. Originally, he planned to become an engineer because he preferred working in a field with fewer people to manage. However, after taking too many credits during his freshman year and struggling academically, he decided to take a year off and serve as a missionary in South Korea, teaching English. During that year, God began orchestrating circumstances that slowly directed him toward pastoral ministry.

It was not until halfway through his first year back at Union College that David surrendered to God’s calling and agreed to become a pastor, trusting that God would teach him what he needed to know. He says that even now, he still feels he has much to learn, but God has remained faithful throughout the journey.

After graduating from Andrews University with a Master of Divinity degree, David served for nine and a half years in the Minnesota Conference in the five-church Northwest District. For the past year, he has served the middle Tennessee district, including the churches in Centerville, Hohenwald, and Columbia.

In his downtime, David enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, and baking. Two Bible passages that are especially central to his life and ministry are Epistle to the Romans 8:28 and Psalms 119:165, verses that continually remind him of God’s faithfulness, purpose, and peace.

Jacob Strang

Jacob Strang was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and raised in Burlington, New Jersey. He attended Life Center Academy, where he received God’s call to ministry during a senior class mission trip in 2014. On April 17, 2014, Jacob was blessed with the opportunity to preach for the first time as part of an evangelistic series at the Robbinsville Seventh-day Adventist Church, and God has been providing opportunities for ministry and affirmations of that calling ever since.

Jacob studied at Southern Adventist University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in theology in 2019. During his time at Southern, he participated in a field school evangelistic program in the Nashville area and was honored to accept the invitation to ministry in the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference. Jacob was later sponsored by the conference to pursue his Master of Divinity degree at Andrews University, which he completed in 2021.

Jacob began full-time ministry in January 2022, serving as associate pastor at Louisville First and interim pastor for the South Louisville and Elizabethtown churches. He is privileged to continue serving the South Louisville and Elizabethtown churches, where God has abundantly blessed.

Jacob is married to his lovely wife, Amber, and just a couple of months ago they welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Grace, into their family. They are greatly enjoying life as a family of three. In his spare time, Jacob enjoys spending time with friends and family, watching baseball, and playing disc golf.

Jacob would like to thank his family, especially his wife Amber, for her constant love and support. He would also like to thank Pastor Joey Pollom for giving him the initial encouragement to pursue God’s calling. Jacob’s continued desire is to faithfully pursue God’s will throughout his life.