Meet Tandré

By Ernesto Duke, Co-President: Partnership Development

I want you to meet one of the most extraordinary students I’ve had the pleasure of knowing in my time at Eternity. He’s an encouraging example of what it means to faithfully dedicate your life to truly know the word of God. Meet Tandré Williams. 

Tandré lives in Southern California with his wife and two children. He’s spent the better part of the last two decades working as a Reservoir Navigation Specialist in the petroleum industry. In layman’s terms, Tandré is an engineer. 

So what is he doing at a Bible College, you may ask? Is he a bi-vocational pastor? An aspiring missionary?  A soon-to-be church planter? No. Tandré is… a follower of Jesus who is also an engineer.

So, here’s the million dollar question: why would an engineer who already holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from USC decide to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Bible from Eternity?

Here’s his answer: “As Christians we need to be able to view our world and our culture through the lens of the Bible, and you fundamentally cannot do this if you do not know the Bible.” 

To me, Tandré is extraordinary because by most standards he was already a deeply committed follower of Christ and trusted leader in his church. He leads Bible studies and co-chairs the missions board—but he still felt like he needed to submit himself to rigorous study of God’s word. This desire led him to Eternity Bible College.

When I asked him why he took this route, he said that one of the problems with education in the US is that we view education as a career path—as if the primary purpose of education was to teach you how to work. But for Tandré, that’s fundamentally wrong. Education is not primarily about gaining information so that you can climb the ladder and make more money. For him, education is more about transformation—it’s about changing who you are as a person. 

It’s true, Eternity is a great place for pastors, missionaries, church planters, youth leaders, etc. But since the beginning, it has been our mission to come alongside all Christians and not just pastors or vocational ministers. 

So, what’s your story? Whether you feel called to pastoral ministry or another line of work like Tandré, we’re here to help train you for gospel impact. What are you waiting for?