Get to know Alan Hooten
Elder
I was raised in a believing home, with two believing parents, but it wasn’t until high school when my faith really became my own. From an outsider’s perspective, I’d always had my life together. I was the youth-group-leading, bible-bowl-winning, good-decision-making kid who rarely inspired worry in those around me. This was my identity. It’s who I was. Until, of course, I began to see the difference between outward appearance and inward reality. Just because I looked okay on the outside didn’t (and still doesn’t) mean I’m really okay. I fit the mold on the outside, but inside, there wasn’t any real pursuit of the Lord. I thought that if everyone thought I was good, I must be good. I started to see in scripture that this clash between appearance and heart was central to the message of Jesus. He preached about how the law says to act in a certain way, but He calls us to something deeper.
This was me. But for God’s grace, it still would be. Through high school and college, the Lord opened my eyes to see the emptiness and even the danger of living like this, placing mentors in my life and experiences in my path showing me the ugliness in my own heart in spite of my outward appearance. I began to find my identity less on how others viewed me and what others thought of me and more on what the Lord says about me. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
In 2009, I met the love of my life, and exactly a year later, we were married. We came to Citizens Church, then the Plano campus of TVC, back in 2014, and it has been a joy to witness and be a part of what the Lord is doing here. Our oldest son, Jacob, was born in 2017, and he was followed in 2019 by our youngest, Reid. During the week, I'm a teacher, currently serving Lewisville ISD as an English teacher and Instructional Coach.
Over the years, we have served in the preschool ministry, the sending ministry, and various roles in home groups. I have a deep love for the people the Lord has gathered at Citizens Church, and I pray that we as a church would grow together in unity as we proclaim the name of Christ in Plano and to the ends of the Earth.
My Hope for Citizens Church
I pray that we as a church would grow together in unity as we proclaim the name of Christ in Plano and to the ends of the Earth.
This was me. But for God’s grace, it still would be. Through high school and college, the Lord opened my eyes to see the emptiness and even the danger of living like this, placing mentors in my life and experiences in my path showing me the ugliness in my own heart in spite of my outward appearance. I began to find my identity less on how others viewed me and what others thought of me and more on what the Lord says about me. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
In 2009, I met the love of my life, and exactly a year later, we were married. We came to Citizens Church, then the Plano campus of TVC, back in 2014, and it has been a joy to witness and be a part of what the Lord is doing here. Our oldest son, Jacob, was born in 2017, and he was followed in 2019 by our youngest, Reid. During the week, I'm a teacher, currently serving Lewisville ISD as an English teacher and Instructional Coach.
Over the years, we have served in the preschool ministry, the sending ministry, and various roles in home groups. I have a deep love for the people the Lord has gathered at Citizens Church, and I pray that we as a church would grow together in unity as we proclaim the name of Christ in Plano and to the ends of the Earth.
My Hope for Citizens Church
I pray that we as a church would grow together in unity as we proclaim the name of Christ in Plano and to the ends of the Earth.