Ralph Jernigan
Courses Taught:
- CLST 100 (LUO)
- CLST 101 (Residential, Hybrid, LUO)
- CLST 103 (Residential)
- CLST 105 (Residential)
- FRSM 101 (Residential)
Education
- 2009 - M. R. E. Religious Education, Liberty University
- 1993 – M. A. Counseling, Liberty University
- 1980 – B. A. Psychology, University of North Carolina at Wilmington
- 1983 – B. A. Biblical Studies, Holmes College of the Bible
- 1978 – A. A. General Education, Emmanuel College
Biography
After 20 years of full-time youth ministry, music ministry and children’s ministry, Mr. Jernigan came to teach at Liberty University full-time in the Fall of 2004, after two semesters of teaching CLST 101 as an adjunct professor. In addition to his work at LU, he continues to play keyboard and help lead praise and worship at Word of Life Evangelical Church in Bedford.
He has been blessed with a wonderful wife, Sara, who is also his best friend. They met at a small Bible College in Greenville, SC, called Holmes Bible College. His parents had met there thirty some years before. They recently celebrated 25 years of marriage. Sara works for Bedford Co. Social Services. His daughter, Miriam, graduated in 2007 with a degree in FACS. She married a fellow Liberty student (named Travis) from Connecticut. They are such a blessing and a vital part of his family. They live in Bedford, VA. His son, Andrew, is a teen and is the “life of the party.” He makes sure that at home there is never a dull moment. He is involved in the drama department at JFHS and a member of the First Priority Club. They also have an Australian Shepherd named Maddie and a Yorkie named Bella who complete their family.
He and his wife enjoy hiking and walking for exercise. And they’ll ride almost any ride at an amusement park. He and Andrew really enjoy swimming and water slides. He also gets a lot of joy from playing keyboard and piano. But you wouldn’t believe how HE LOVES riding a jet ski, “I’m a whole new person at 45 miles per hour on the open lake!!”
Because he’s a “preacher’s kid, they lived in several different places as he grew up. They were blessed to stay 8 years in several places, however, and he guesses they’re his hometowns: Benson, Wallace and Wilmington, NC. After five years of music ministry in Greenville, NC, He and Sara moved to Bedford, VA in 1990 to pursue his Masters in Counseling at LU. He knows now why the Lord didn’t allow them to move back to NC, as they had planned. They moved to Forest just before he accepted the position at Liberty. They love living in Forest and have been in this house longer than any place they’ve lived together. They have truly been blessed.
Testimony
He has been a Christian most of his life. In fact, all of his grandparents were Christians, and most of their parents were as well. He grew up in a pastor’s home and attended church whenever they had church (at least 3 times a week). He accepted Christ at a revival service when he was about 7 years old when he realized that his parent’s experience was not enough for him.
