Just a few years ago, Evan Garrett had no plans to serve in worship ministry. 

"I didn't play any instruments or have really any care in worship," he said. 

Then a need arose in his church's youth ministry. The regular cajon – box drum – player was unavailable one Wednesday night, and Garrett was asked if he could step in. 

What began as a last-minute opportunity soon became something much bigger. 

After learning cajon, Garrett was asked to learn acoustic guitar. Then keyboards. Then other instruments as needs arose. Within a few months, he was given the opportunity to lead worship for the first time. 

As Garrett continued serving, he began to sense God calling him into ministry. While he didn't immediately know what that calling would look like, the Lord faithfully revealed it over time.

"My call to ministry is worship," he said. 

Today, Garrett serves on the worship team at Midtowne Church in both the church's main worship services and student ministry. He is also deeply involved with Little Rock Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) and serves as a Super Summer staffer, opportunities that have allowed him to continue growing as a leader while serving churches across Arkansas. 

In addition to his ministry at Midtowne, Garrett has led worship for youth groups and churches across the state, including First Baptist Jacksonville, First Baptist McGehee and other Arkansas Baptist ministries whenever opportunities arise. 

"I just try to serve wherever's needed," he said. 

That servant-hearted approach has been shaped by leaders who have invested in him. Garrett points to his worship pastor, Daniel Elliff, and Little Rock Campus Minister Matthew Stubbs as two people who have played significant roles in his development. 

"We meet weekly, and he disciples me," Garrett said of Elliff. "He's been showing me everything from tech to leading to discipling to studying Scripture." 

He credits Stubbs with creating opportunities and helping connect him with churches where he can serve and grow. 

"He's plugging me in with churches, he's helping me, he's teaching me." 

Garrett now encourages other young people who may be sensing a call to ministry to seek out those kinds of relationships. 

"Find someone like Matt, or like Daniel, someone that's going to pour into you, going to teach you everything, that's going to help you," he said. 

His own journey has demonstrated the value of that guidance. Through Super Summer, BCM involvement and service in the local church, Garrett has learned that ministry is about more than standing on a stage. He said worship creates opportunities for people to engage with Scripture and respond to what God is doing in their lives. 

As he continues his studies and considers future opportunities, Garrett remains confident about where God is leading him. The calling itself is no longer in question. 

His story is a reminder that God is still calling the next generation to ministry. Through faithful churches, collegiate ministries like BCM and discipleship opportunities through Arkansas Baptist ministries, young leaders are being equipped to serve wherever God calls them. 

And sometimes, that calling begins with something as simple as filling in for an absent cajon player on a Wednesday night. 

The need for those leaders is significant. During the Southern Baptist Convention Worship Micro Conference in Orlando, the SBC Worship Research Committee released findings from what organizers described as the largest music and worship study in Southern Baptist history, surveying 4,530 congregations. The research projects that Southern Baptist churches will face a shortage of approximately 20,000 worship leaders over the next 15 years. 

“Evan Garrett’s testimony is an excellent example of how God calls His people into His service through the ministry of the local church and through partnerships with like-minded ministries,” said Jim Daniel, music and worship strategist with Arkansas Baptists.  

“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to developing worship ministry leaders. However, experience has consistently shown that one of the most effective ways is to give children and students opportunities to discover, develop, and use their gifts while growing in their relationship with the Lord through the ministries of the local church.”  

As Arkansas Baptist churches invest in mentoring young leaders and creating opportunities for them to serve, stories like Garrett's demonstrate how a simple invitation to serve opened the door to discovering God's call on his life and a passion for worship ministry.