Pastor Tim Batdorf first wanted to be a chemical engineer.

He attended the Institute of Technology at the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis for two years to pursue a chemical engineering degree. After his second year of schooling, however, he began to doubt his chosen career.

“I just had a growing sense that going into chemical engineering wasn’t really where I was supposed to be,” Batdorf said.

Thus began a long path to Batdorf’s current position as the new pastor of adults and discipleship at Faith Evangelical Free Church in Austin.

Batdorf had been active growing up in the free church. He’d had experience teaching before, so after working for a semester with his father, who was also a chemical engineer, he decided to walk away from his U of M education.

Instead, he went to St. Paul Bible Institute, which is now known as Crown College. Batdorf said he immediately felt as though he belonged.

“Within a few weeks, it was like, ‘Wow, I’m totally supposed to be here,’” Batdorf said. “This is what I’m supposed to be doing.”

After a month and a half, Batdorf earned a position at what is now called New Hope Church, but was then known as Crystal Free church. He continued working there as a youth worker and then as a youth minister for about 16 years. During that time, he had met, gotten to know, dated and then married his wife, Shelley. Together, they worked for Crystal Free until 2002, when a mutual friend of theirs, who at the time was ministering youth in Arizona, asked them if they wanted to move out west, as their friend could use the familiar help.

Batdorf spent three years working at the First Baptist Church of Lakewood, which was in Long Beach, Calif.

While he was out in California, he decided to continue his education at Talbot Seminary. He’d always wanted to continue his education, he said, and 2005 proved to be the right time for him to start.

Talbot Seminary appealed to Batdorf for two main reasons: He was to be placed in a cohort group, meaning he’d be with the same people throughout his entire education, and there were plenty of mentorship opportunities, which meant he could ask as many questions as his heart desired.