Narrative Summary
Interview with Tanya Renee Marion by Ashley Melynn Davidson
Tanya Marion was born in California in the 1970s. She went to school in Willard as a
child and teenager. She graduated from Southwest Missouri University in Springfield, Missouri,
now known as Missouri State University.
Tanya has two daughters from a previous marriage and her husband has three sons from a
previous marriage. They reside in Springfield, Missouri. Tanya works in the Human Resources
Department at Mercy Health System. Her husband is a battalion chief for the Springfield Fire
Department and also owns a home building company.
Tanya grew up going to a Church of Christ located in southwest Missouri. Her family
was very involved in church. They went to every church service and most church events. Her
parents didn’t socialize with many people outside the congregation so they were like an
extension of her family. Although she viewed these people as being very close to her, she
thought that they were very strict about the beliefs. There were clean lines for what was right and
wrong; there was little grey area on any topic. She felt that most of the congregants and the
teachings of the preachers and elders, were very judgmental. People were not easily accepted
into the fold.
Her father mirrored the views of the congregation and as head of the household, kept very
strict rules. Her mother’s view of religion was a bit more pliable and she chose to apply
Christianity in a more understanding and common sense way.
As an older teenager her family attended a Church of Christ in Springfield, MO for a
while. It was a much larger congregation with more children her age. She enjoyed going there,
partly for the more laid back atmosphere.
Tanya grew up believing that divorce was wrong, it was something that was reinforced
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by both her parents and the congregations they were a part of. Her mother chose to divorce her
father when she was a young adult. Tanya had always looked up to her parents as role models, so
when her mother divorced her father, Tanya felt confused as to how she should view her mother.
This confusion subsided when Tanya’s first marriage ended. She once again felt that her mother
was a role model for her religiously. Her mother showed her during this time that God’s love
isn’t based on harsh judgments and that she was still loved by him. During this time Tanya and
her daughters attended a Church of Christ in Springfield, Missouri. Tanya believes that her
parents’ divorce and her divorce altered her views of religion. Her beliefs now, mirror those of
her mother’s; more pliable and based on acceptance rather than judgment.
When Tanya and John met her invited her to go to Northpoint Church. She decided to go
a few times without him to decide if she liked it. In the Church of Christ, musical instruments
were not allowed, but at Northpoint there was a full band. It was hard for her to get used to at
first. Tanya did like that communion and baptism were a big part of Northpoint’s beliefs, just
like the churches she had attended growing up.
Another difference in Northpoint and the Church of Christ was that women were allowed
positions of leadership. In the Church of Christ women were only allowed to teach Sunday
School; they weren’t allowed to pass out communion, lead prayer or song, and were definitely
not allowed to preach. Although this was a big change from the atmosphere she grew up in, she
liked the change. She wanted her daughters to have strong, female religious role models in their
religious lives.
The overall atmosphere was different from the Church of Christ. Where the Church of
Christ had been rigid and judgmental, Northpoint exhibited warmth and acceptance. Tanya
ultimately decided to start attending Northpoint with her daughters. Today, John and Tanya are
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married and attend church with their five children.
The try to make it to church as often as possible, but sometimes their hectic schedules
don’t allow them to do so. Northpoint offers sermons online for the family to watch wherever
they are; they supplement attending church by watching these online sermons.
Other than church services the family donates a lot of resources to the community
through the church. Northpoint, as a congregation, is very focused on community outreach.
Tanya’s believes that community service and the care of others is just as spiritual of an
experience as worshipping.
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