Rev. Jay Height is married to Jane for 35+ years. They have three adult, married children. All three and their spouses serve in full time ministry. The Heights have nine grandchildren. Jay served as pastor or co-pastor of Shepherd Community Church of the Nazarene for 25+ years. He continues to serve the near Eastside of Indianapolis as Executive Director of Shepherd Community Center for almost 30 years. During his ministry, Shepherd Community Center has grown from 3 employees and $100,000 annual budget to more than 115 employees and over a $9,000,000 annual budget. Since November, 2012, Jay has served as Coordinator of the Church of the Nazarene’s Compassionate Ministries for the USA and Canada region with resourcing more than 70 districts which contain more than 5,000 churches. His responsibilities include coordinating Compassionate Ministries, Mission Teams, and Urban Ministries in USA/Canada. Height has received numerous honors over the years, including in 2004, the Indianapolis Business Journal named him one of the top leaders – “40 Under 40.” In 1999, he was honored as the Citizen of the Year by Indianapolis Domino’s Pizza. In 1998 & 2020 as the Crime Fighter of the Year by the Indianapolis Police Department. In addition, Height has served as a board member of the Indianapolis/Marion County Library and was a founding board member of Sack Hunger, a hunger relief organization. Height, a native of Ohio, received his Master of Ministry degree from Indiana Wesleyan University (2005) and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Political Science from Wright State University (1987). Height received his ordination requirements from Nazarene Bible College. In May, 2023, Olivet Nazarene University conferred upon him an honorary doctorate. Jay and Jane live in the community in which they serve–the near east-side of Indianapolis. As Jay says, “this is where I live, work, and worship.”