Nancy grew up on a farm in Maryville, Tennessee and returned to live there with her family in 2008 after being away for 24 years. She graduated from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Prior to marrying her husband Mark, she worked as a campus minister, both in Jefferson City, Tennessee and in Winnipeg, Canada. She and Mark, along with their four children, served with the organization Mercy Ships from 1999-2007, living in the countries of England, Liberia, and Ghana. In 2015 Nancy joined the Presbyterian church, and in 2017 she became an inquirer for ministry in the Presbytery of East Tennessee. She was ordained in 2020 by the Presbytery of the James while serving in her first call as an interim pastor in Providence Forge, Virginia.
Nancy and Mark live on the Tallent family farm in Maryville with their senior hound dog Kody. They are the proud parents of Neil, Andrew and his wife Kristen, Cara, and Sam, and the unrepentantly boastful grandparents of Charlotte and Thomas. Nancy enjoys travel, reading, word games, cycling, and walking. If you spot her on the Betty Brown Memorial Walking Trail (which you are likely to do), be sure to stop and say hello!
BEGINNING DATE OF POSITION AT BETHEL: MARCH 14, 2022
An interim pastor is a minister who works with a congregation during a transition time after one pastor leaves and before a new pastor is called. This transition time usually takes one to two years.
During this period the interim pastor will be responsible for the full range of pastoral duties, including: worship leadership, congregational care, outreach and church growth development, and serving as head of staff.
The interim pastor will also lead our congregation through developmental tasks intended to support us in our search for a called pastor.