By Will Hall, Message executive editor
ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Jay McCallum believes in public service, and living your whole life in service to Christ, he told the Baptist Message.
“My wife and I came to an understanding a number of years ago that everything we do is to be part of our ministry and mission effort. And God is sovereign over all our lives, not just part of our lives.
“When you look at Scripture, it’s obvious,” he offered. “The Holy Spirit reveals our whole lives are to be dedicated to Christ. And that means every part of our life, including our occupation, no matter what it is.”
McCallum was elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court in November and recently served as interim pastor for Liberty Baptist Church near Linville. He is only a few hours shy of completing a master’s degree at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, he said, and hopes to graduate in December. He and his wife, Deanna, are members of First Baptist Church in Farmerville, where he is a deacon and teacher and both are active in various ministries, according to his official biography. They are partners in law, too.
McCallum said his journey to the pulpit and the state Supreme Court bench has been guided by the Holy Spirit.
“I am the first person in my family go to college, much less law school,” McCallum explained. “I grew up working in the hay fields in the area and different places.”
But his grandfather encouraged him to look at law as a possible career choice, he said.
He added that at a young age he was given the chance to take a leadership role in the Sunday school and Training Union programs of Pisgah Baptist Church, outside of Bernice, also in Union Parish.
“It gave me an opportunity to do speaking within the church and from there outside the church. It seemed like a natural fit to go into law, and I felt like that is where God was calling me. In fact,” he continued, “I tried to go into another area. In undergraduate school I tried to set my sights on the medical profession, but God kept calling me back to training into law.”
McCallum said his grandfather, and his parents, each spiritually influenced his life; and they emphasized “we render service to God when we serve our fellow man.”
As a result of that influence, he said, “I am always looking for ways that I can get the message out and serve the Lord. I think we must be deliberate in finding ways to do that in our everyday lives. The tools and methods I use may be different than the ones that other people use. But we all need to look for that opportunity.”
McCallum underscored his point by sharing that it is not just the pulpit or the judge’s bench that give him a platform. He said he began a ministry years ago, handing out bookmarks with 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
“I have been able to use those effectively as an ice breaker with people with whom I come in contact on a daily basis,” McCallum said. “It leads into a lot of Gospel centered conversations. We are on a missionary trip every time we walk out our front doors; and I think as Christians and as Baptists we need to realize that.”
As for how his faith informs his judicial duties, McCallum explained that his Christianity “flavors how I approach the bench,” especially about fairness. “I think we need to treat people impartially and with respect,” he said, drawing upon biblical references about justice for everyone.
His legal philosophy is based on “not creating law” as a judge, but in taking “the law that the people have created through their elected representatives and senators and applying that to the facts of particular cases,” he said. “I think it works best when it works that way.”
McCallum said he would encourage Louisiana Baptists that “even in difficult times such as we live in now, God is still sovereign,” even in the small things.
“Christ said that the Father knows the number of heads on our head. Not a single sparrow falls to the ground but that the Father ordains it,” he referenced from Luke 12:7. “Let God have control of the small problems just like the big problems. In these days submit everything that you have — all your talents, all your energy, and all your efforts — to the service of Christ. But also give Him your burdens because He invites that, too. Lean on Him. There is victory in Jesus. So, we should live victorious, abundant lives through Him.”
