[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/faulkner-alumnus-trae-durden-reflects-on-ministry-family-and-lifelong-impact-of-christian-education\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/faulkner-alumnus-trae-durden-reflects-on-ministry-family-and-lifelong-impact-of-christian-education\/","headline":"Faulkner Alumnus Trae Durden Reflects on Ministry, Family and Lifelong Impact of Christian Education","name":"Faulkner Alumnus Trae Durden Reflects on Ministry, Family and Lifelong Impact of Christian Education","description":"President Mitch Henry awards Trae Durden with the Distinguished Alumnus Award. For more than 25 years, Faulkner University alumnus Trae Durden has dedicated his life to ministry, serving congregations and college students across Alabama with a heart rooted in discipleship…","datePublished":"2025-06-12","dateModified":"2025-06-12","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/#Person","name":"Rebecca Burylo","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Faulkner University","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","width":480,"height":128}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Trae-Durden-scaled.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Trae-Durden-scaled.jpg","height":1656,"width":2560},"url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/faulkner-alumnus-trae-durden-reflects-on-ministry-family-and-lifelong-impact-of-christian-education\/","about":["Alumni","Biblical Studies","News"],"wordCount":587,"articleBody":"President Mitch Henry awards Trae Durden with the Distinguished Alumnus Award. For more than 25 years, Faulkner University alumnus Trae Durden has dedicated his life to ministry, serving congregations and college students across Alabama with a heart rooted in discipleship and community.Durden currently serves as the Connections Minister at the Beltline Church of Christ in Decatur, Alabama, where he works closely with Pulpit Minister Steve Smith. Together, they share responsibilities across the congregation, but Durden said his greatest joy comes from being a part of Beltline\u2019s Next Step Initiative.Through this outreach, church members work in four teams to serve the physical and spiritual needs of their community, building meaningful relationships and sharing the gospel.\u201cWe have found this to be a more effective method to accomplish benevolent work,\u201d Durden said. \u201cIt naturally leads to disciple making and the growth of the church. Ephesians 4:16 says it best\u2014\u2018\u2026the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies\u2026 causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.\u2019\u201dDurden, a 1998 graduate of Faulkner with a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies, began his career in youth and campus ministry, including work with the Tide 4 Christ campus ministry in Tuscaloosa. He has also served as the Preaching Minister at North Highlands Church of Christ in Russellville and previously worked in Huntsville as a regional manager for LifeSouth Community Blood Bank.Through every chapter of his life, he credits Faulkner University and its Christ-centered education as a foundational part of his personal and professional journey. He was invited back to campus for the 2025 Marketplace Faith Friday Forums where he was honored as the V.P. Black College of Biblical Studies’ Distinguished Alumnus.\u201cFaulkner is where I met my wife, Leann Edmondson Durden, and made my closest friends,\u201d he said. \u201cLeann and I treasure our memories from our time at Faulkner. My professors invested their love, knowledge and patience in me and others. I would never have been at Faulkner without Dennis Itson. I\u2019ll be in his debt for eternity for all the good that has come from our friendship.\u201dReflecting on his time at Faulkner, Durden said the spiritual example of his professors deeply influenced his faith and approach to ministry.\u201cThey embodied the teaching from 2 Timothy 2:2\u2014\u2018And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also,\u2019\u201d Durden said. \u201cSo, I am just another representative of their legacy of faith. Their teaching reinforced the foundation my parents had laid in my heart.\u201dEven during the years he worked outside of full-time ministry, Durden never felt far from his calling.\u201cI learned that from my professors at Faulkner. Faith is our way of life, and it\u2019s a wonderful way to live,\u201d he said.Durden and his wife began serving together while still in college, working with the Houston Park Church of Christ in Selma. After graduation and marriage, they continued in youth ministry roles in Georgia and at Dalraida Church of Christ in Montgomery before eventually transitioning into preaching and leadership roles across the state.Trae and Leann have two children\u2014Darcy Grace, 21, and Dalton, 18. Together, they\u2019ve built a legacy of service rooted in faith, gratitude, and a love for the church families they\u2019ve served.\u201cWe love them all and thank God for the investment they have made in our lives,\u201d Durden said. \u201cAnd I know in heaven someday, we will enjoy reminiscing about our time together.\u201d"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Faulkner Alumnus Trae Durden Reflects on Ministry, Family and Lifelong Impact of Christian Education","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/faulkner-alumnus-trae-durden-reflects-on-ministry-family-and-lifelong-impact-of-christian-education\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]