by Jennifer Shin

This year’s all-church retreat was a tremendous blessing as we were able to fellowship together as a church family and be challenged by the Word of God as Dr. Andy Snider preached on the topic of holy affections, addressing matters such as humility, love, anger, and joy. It was yet another blessing to be able to sit down with him on the last night in the midst of all the noise and people enjoying fellowship through games or conversations and hear him share a little bit more about his life and how God has been specifically working in him.

Andy Snider was raised in a Christian home in Pennsylvania and came to Christ as a child. The gospel was very much a part of his family and his upbringing as he even attended a Christian school. Andy’s father passed away when he was 15, which made a significant influence on him in that he had to grow up a lot quicker than he had planned. Through this, God also taught him that what he does really matters. So how has he seen God refining him since he came to know Christ? “Well, in college, and in particular after I got married, there were radical changes in my life, “ Andy stated, “I had to deal with trusting God. I never had to trust God too much.” He was forced into it at a young age with his father’s death, but even more so when his first child was born, he learned how things were never in his control.

In being a parent and teaching at the seminary, he stated that when you’re responsible to help others grow, it makes you grow as well. “If you want to learn how to pray, teach somebody else about prayer. If you want to learn how to be humble, teach somebody else about humility. And God will humble you like crazy,” Andy said.

At the Master’s Seminary, Andy teaches theology and thoroughly enjoys it because it makes him learn. “I have to learn in order to teach,” Andy said, “I just enjoy that process – taking it in and relating it with [the students]. I enjoy interacting with the guys. Interaction is very valuable not just for them, but for me as well.” He enjoys working through difficult issues that really matter. For him, it’s a ministry that has an exponential affect because he is training men who are going out to teach other believers and pastors. Teaching theology makes it frightening for him as well because the responsibility is heavy.

Apart from teaching theology, Andy loves ministering with his family. “We’re all musical,” Andy said. Him, his wife, and their three daughters are all involved together in the college ministry at Grace Community Church. At the weekly Bible studies, his three daughters even help out by babysitting the staff members’ kids. Andy’s family likes sharing music and being together, even if it is just watching movies. “I like to drag them out hiking when I can,” Andy said. Recently his oldest daughter began to sing a trio with him and his wife during the main services on Sundays. No matter what his daughters do, he wants them to use their talents for God and for serving. Andy’s passions are ministry – working with college students – hanging out with his wife, mountain biking, and reading.

What and who are some of his favorite books and authors? Andy stated that he is trying to re-establish that at the moment because he has been under a lot of influence from what he was reading for his doctorate program. He is currently reading works by C.S. Lewis in chronological order and is fascinated by his thinking and how his mind worked. Apart from that, Andy wants to read something “funky and off-the-wall – something out of the ordinary” such as A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah.