Nearly a decade after graduating, an alumni couple reflect on the influence of Crown College in their lives. Zach and Haley Jones emphasize the strength that comes from being invested in Crown’s Christian community. Zach received a degree in pastoral leadership from Crown College in 2015, then his master’s in ministry leadership in 2017, and Haley received her degree in communications in 2016. The couple began their marriage while studying at Crown and now minister at CrossBridge Alliance Church in Wyoming, where Zach serves as the lead pastor. They have been married for 11 years and have one daughter and twin boys.
The couple first met through their families. Haley’s family members were overseas missionaries with ties to the Christian & Missionary Alliance (C&MA), and Zach’s father was a C&MA pastor. While Haley’s family was visiting Zach’s church, his family hosted them for lunch. The two met at ages 14 and 15, and they began as friends. Their Alliance ties, and a few other connections, brought them both to Crown College, where their relationship developed over time. Zach felt called to pastoral leadership, and both began their Crown journey with a strong spiritual foundation.
Zach received a degree in pastoral leadership from Crown College in 2015, then his master’s in ministry leadership in 2017, and Haley received her degree in communications in 2016. The couple began their marriage while studying at Crown and in Wyoming, where Zach serves as the lead pastor.have been married for 11 years and have one daughter and twin boys.
The couple first met through their families. Haley’s family members were overseas missionaries with ties to the Christian & Missionary Alliance (C&MA), and Zach’s father was a C&MA pastor. While Haley’s family was visiting Zach’s church, his family hosted them for lunch. The two met at
Crown Connections
While at Crown, Zach and Haley made connections through classes, campus jobs, and mentorship. Some of the courses that Zach said stuck out to him were Church History, Counseling for Church Leaders, and 1 Corinthians. Haley highlighted Intercultural Communications as particularly impactful because, having grown up overseas, the course created connections between concepts and her experiences and widened her perception of culture.
Both Zach and Haley worked on campus at Crown. While working at the coffee shop, they grew close to the managers, Melody Bouchard and Sue Manske, whom the Joneses considered to be impactful people in their lives at Crown. For two summers, on a quiet campus, Zach and Haley worked in facilities with a small group of others. This formed personal connections with their co-workers and the school itself. Haley reminisced, “Even some of the mundane stuff, like late night at the coffee shop, or walking to the sign … were beautiful memories that stick with us.”
Some of the most impactful parts of their college experience were the people Zach and Haley engaged with. Dr. Bill Kuhn did premarital counseling with them, to which they attribute much of the solidity of their marriage foundation. Other connections the Joneses brought up were mentors such as Dr. Rob Mapstone and Sue Manske, and personal friends, such as the “fourth main boys,” a friend group that still gets together.
Haley emphasizes the distinction of Crown’s community connections and said, “Relationships are everything at Crown.” Zach adds that Crown is what a student makes it. “If you invest deeply, the school gives back to you in so many ways,” he continues, “It can give you hope, joy, job opportunities, connections, friendships, a career that lasts …you get out of it what you put in.”
The Impact of Crown
Zach and Haley said that they consider their time at Crown to have been a powerful continuation of spiritual development through Christian community, opportunities for spiritual growth, and academic tools for biblical literacy. Crown set the trajectory in preparing for life after graduation, through honing skills in pastoral ministry and in personal development, said Zach. Haley said her degree prepared her for her previous work experience, roles she currently has, and a counseling-focused profession she is anticipating in the near future.
Though Crown has helped to prepare the Joneses for many things, Haley expressed that their lives had gone directions they had never expected. Zach and Haley glimpses of God’s plan, and reality was not always the idealized vision of ministry they expected. The couple has gone through difficult seasons inside and outside of ministry, learned through those experiences, developed personally, and have trusted in God, leaning on the spiritual grounding they received at Crown.
“Hard ministries have turned into incredible blessings,” said Zach, “When God calls you to difficult things, you are always expecting Him to show up … and He always has. You’re never going to regret saying yes to God or to doing hard things — you’re always going to regret choosing what’s easy over what’s right.”
Now, the Joneses live in Wyoming, where Zach is the lead pastor of their church, and Haley is a stay-at-home-mom and is preparing to move into a counseling ministry. Zach and Haley’s encouragement to others is to prioritize God above all else. Haley says that being rooted in the Lord can withstand any storm and allows for the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Zach adds, “Expect the unexpected and say yes when God challenges you.”
