For Taylor West, the path to becoming Iola Baptist Church’s youth pastor has been a winding one — stretching from small-town Colorado to rural Iowa classrooms, summer camps, and now, southeast Kansas.
West, 32, officially began his new role earlier this month after moving to Iola with his wife, Elise.
The couple married in June 2022 after meeting during the COVID-19 pandemic at a Nebraska church camp. He was a counselor and she was the camp’s nurse. “I forgot my poison ivy cream and had to go see the nurse,” he said with a grin. “I walked away with my wife.”
Originally from Ordway, Colorado, West moved to Iowa after graduating from Barclay College in Haviland, Kansas, in 2021. He earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and biblical studies and soon began teaching first grade in the consolidated Exira-Elkhorn-Kimballton Community School District.
Though he enjoyed teaching, West felt drawn toward ministry.
“In public schools, you can’t openly teach about God,” he said. “I wanted to still teach, but to be able to teach the Bible.” That calling eventually led him to resign his position and accept the youth pastor role in Iola. He has also begun working on a Master of Divinity degree online through Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City.
TEACHING, however, is still very much part of his DNA. Before college, West worked as a paraprofessional in schools for several years. He has also spent eight summers working at church camps, guiding children of all ages.
“Each age group has its challenges,” he said with a laugh. “Junior high especially — one moment they’re playing basketball, the next they’re having deep discussions, and then suddenly they’re grumpy again. It changes every 30 minutes.”
West grew up immersed in church life. His father became a pastor when Taylor was 5, first serving in Methodist congregations and later as a Baptist pastor. Over the years, Taylor has volunteered in a variety of church roles — from helping with kids’ ministries to sending care packages to college students — as well as filling in at pulpits when pastors were away.
Those experiences deepened his conviction that teaching the Bible rather than math or reading was his calling.
“I realized the more I was preparing sermons, the more excited I was about that compared to preparing lesson plans,” West said. “That’s when I knew I was headed in the right direction.”
NOW IN Iola, West hopes to build sustainability in the youth program by focusing on relationships, discipleship, and grounding kids in scripture.
“For me, the Bible is the curriculum,” he said. While he plans to incorporate fun activities and church camps, his priority is helping students see the importance of faith in their daily lives.
West and his wife are settling in enjoying the change of scenery.
Elise, who teaches at Chanute Christian Academy, grew up in Iowa and had never lived more than two hours from home before the move.
“I was a little nervous how she’d feel being six hours from home,” West admitted. “But she loves it here.”
