A Standing-Room Only Ordination . . .
The church was packed to standing-room-only, Sabbath evening, as friends and visitors traveled to the ordination of Scottie Deal. This once-upon-a-time drug dealer turned Baptist preacher now in front of a packed church as Conference and Southern Union officers along with several ordained ministers laid-hands on Scottie as he was ordained to the Gospel Ministry.
It has been an interesting journey for Scottie, as explained by Elder Jim Davidson, Vice President for the Southern Union, as he shared the history of this member of the Native-American Lumbee tribe. Immediately after graduating from High School, Scottie entered the workforce in the construction trade. After several years in a destructive lifestyle, Scottie surrendered his life to Christ in 1997. On July 17, 2000, he was ordained into the gospel ministry under the Freewill Baptist Association.
This Fellow Seemed Different
One day on the worksite he met a fellow worker, Wayne Tinsley, Scottie noticed this new acquaintance was different than the others. Tinsley, a Seventh-day Adventist, introduced Scottie to the Amazing Facts Bible lessons. These new truths changed Scottie’s life and he began preaching these new discoveries in his church. This didn’t go well for him. Scottie explained that he was persecuted for teaching what he’d learned and as a result was “exited out of the church.” For the next couple of years he didn’t have a home church, he found himself worshiping on both Saturday and Sunday. Scottie was later baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church in August, 2002. Earlier that year he married his lovely wife, Rebecca, on January 19, 2002.
In the summer of 2003, Scottie met, Fred Rogers, Southern Union Native American Ministries Director. Rogers was in the process of establishing a “Free Clinic” that would serve non-insured Native Americans. Then together both Fred and Scottie were able to conduct a church-plant right there in the clinic. In July of 2006, Scottie was employed by the local church as a full-time lay pastor for this new church-plant.
Pitched a Tent Where He First Sold Drugs
It was laid on Scotties heart to conduct a tent meeting on the very ground where he once sold drugs near the town of Pembroke, NC. The meeting was a huge success for this new Adventist. Area churches even closed their churches on Wednesday night and bused their members to hear Scottie sing and preach at the near-by tent meeting.
At the close of the meetings, in May, 2010, Scottie needed a place for all these new folks. He was impressed to contact the Carolina Conference to ask for permission to reopen the nearby Pembroke Seventh-day Adventist church, which had been closed for a number of years. Permission was granted and Scottie served as the pastor at the reopened church for the following years. In July 2012 Scottie was employed by the Carolina Conference. That Fall he began his five-year track of education. While living and studying at Southern Adventist University, Scottie along with his wife and two children, India and Luke, traveled back every two Sabbaths to minister to the church there in Pembroke, NC.
Graduated Magna Cum Laude
On December 14, 2017 Scottie graduated top in his class, Magna Cum Laude. It was around that time Scottie answered the call to become the pastor of the Concord and Salisbury district in North Carolina. During his time in ministry Scottie Deal has baptized over 85 souls, served as a featured guest on 3ABN Television, held meetings in Africa and has been featured as a key-note speaker for several camp meetings throughout North American.