Jay Barrett
Writer, Pastor, Human
Jay Barrett writes from the wreckage he's lived and the wreckage he's witnessed. A combat veteran, pastor, and someone who has spent nearly two decades tearing down and rebuilding his own faith, he writes with the conviction of someone who has bled for every page—whether he's dismantling the courtroom theology so many were handed, or sitting quietly beside the pain that never quite resolves. His work moves between the raw and the rigorous, the intimate and the theological, always refusing easy comfort in favor of something truer.
My Story
My life is a hodgepodge of experiences, including:
- Over a decade of army experience
- Falling into drug and alcohol abuse
- Finding God
- Competing in bodybuilding
- As well as working as a sports nutritionist and a personal trainer
A Life Highlight
In 2022, I stepped into a "homeless" church whose pastor had to leave and whose attendance had fallen down to less than a dozen people. I spent the next 3.5 years launching Narrative Church, growing its attendance, establishing the church within a building, and greatest of all: seeing new and old to the faith come to an incredible new appreciation for who God might be.
Pastoring the Narrative community led me to an expansive ministry that grew past the church doors and even into prison ministry. My time produced a rewards, but challenging 3.5 years. Over the course of 42 months, I faced pastoring people through church and spiritual abuse, domestic violence situations, theological conflict, suicide, and rape.
2025 and onward
In the fall of 2025, I handed over control of Narrative Church and began to pursue a new vision born from bringing my pre-pastoring life experience together with the lessons learned from leading the Narrative community.
Out of this work, I am in the process of creating a renewed ministry and books.
In the meantime, I am endeavoring to blog regularly while I enjoy the Pacific NW, time with my amazing wife, and our dogs.