W. Clay Jackson
Pictured (from left to right): Wes, Jude, Clay, Jana, and Bennett Jackson.
Site Pastor, Arlington United
When Dr. Jackson and his wife Jana planted a new church in Arlington, it was a dream come true—a chance to build a church on the New Testament model, with a focus on sharing God’s authentic love with the surrounding community through the power of the Spirit. He enjoys the unique challenges of serving as a bivocational minister. For his ‘day job,’ Clay maintains a private practice in family medicine, and leads the palliative medicine program at the West Cancer Center. He also serves as the Associate Fellowship Director for Palliative Medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. From this professional platform, he leads multiple teams of dedicated clinicians who have helped to transform the experience of seriously ill patients in the Mid-South.
Dr. Jackson earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and his Diploma in Theology at Oxford University in England. While in Oxford, Dr. Jackson served as an associate missionary for Great Britain, and has continued an active engagement with short-term international missions work since that time. He has served with ministry teams in the Memphis metro area for three decades. For ten years, he authored a national column on the intersection of spirituality and health, and currently is a frequent lecturer at Urshan Graduate School of Theology. He recently co-authored a book on the apostolic family.
Beyond physical and spiritual ministry, his interests include an active outdoor lifestyle, literature, and music. His most fulfilling role, without a doubt, is being a husband and a dad. Dr. Jackson believes the Mid-South is a place where grit meets grace.
