Tammy West to Spain

Child of Christ Church to Become Full-time Missionary

Tammy West grew up at Christ Church attending Sunday school and singing in the children’s choir. She served Christ Church for five years during which time she felt called of the Lord to attend seminary attending Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard and received her Masters of Divinity degree in 2002.

During the recent Mission Festival, Tom Mallon, Chairman of the Mission Leadership Team, interviewed Tammy regarding her latest calling to be a full-time missionary in Granada, Spain.

Tom: Tammy, when you finished your M.Div. at Northern Seminary, you left Christ Church to be an Associate Pastor of a small church in Mokena, Illinois. After that you served three and a half years as a missionary serving Shukagawa Bible Church outside Osaka, Japan. Now you’re preparing for this new project in Spain. Tell us about your call to global missions from the role of pastor.

Tammy: My call to ministry has been to build community with individuals and expand God’s Kingdom on earth. I love to be in community, meeting people and building relationships that might lead them into a relationship with Christ and a local body of believers.

Tom: Why did you choose Spain?

Tammy: I have had a heart for Spain for many years. I grew up learning Spanish in school and I fell in love with the language. To me, Spanish sounds like music. During seminary I participated in many discussions about America following Europe into a post-modern, post-Christian era. I was intrigued with the idea that the great cathedrals and Catholic festivals were now functioning as museums and cultural celebrations while people lived everyday not understanding the truth of the Gospel.

Tom: What are you going to be doing in Spain?

Tammy: I will be serving on a multi-cultural team to develop national leaders for ten new church plants over the next 10 years. My team of foreign missionaries will work in these ten areas developing relationships with local people and creating places for Christian community to grow. We’ll begin by entering organizations already established as gathering places within the community: coffee houses, language schools, and clubs. Then, these places will become “bridge points” linking new believers into the new churches.

Tom: Tammy, what do you feel characterizes an effective missionary in today’s post-modern, post-Christian culture?

Tammy: I feel God is calling people from every profession and culture. He is using people who have:
• Passion for the Gospel
• Love for God and the Church
• And a Heart for people to know, love and serve God.
• Driven by your love for Christ, go and live among the people
showing the truth of the Gospel with your life.

Tammy plans to leave for Spain sometime in the fall of 2009 as soon as sufficient support is raised. She will be serving OC (One Challenge) International. For more information regarding her ministry contact her via e-mail: or .