01
Word-centered
Scripture is the air discipleship breathes — taught carefully, lived honestly, and trusted to do its slow work in every student, including those with ADHD, dyslexia, and hidden learning differences.
About
A pastor-scholar walking with families through the long work of discipleship.
Bryan Barrineau is a Southern Baptist family pastor, educator, researcher, and disability ministry advocate based in Florida. His work centers on inclusive discipleship, hidden disabilities in the church, ADHD and church support, dyslexia and spiritual formation, and special needs ministry training for SBC and local churches.
At a glance
- Family Pastor, Fruit Cove Baptist Church
- Ed.D., Teaching & Educational Ministry
- Disability ministry advocate & coach
- Husband, dad, former public-school teacher
Biography
From the classroom to the family room of the church.
Bryan Barrineau has spent nearly two decades walking with Southern Baptist and local churches, students, and families through the long, ordinary work of discipleship. Today he serves as a family pastor at Fruit Cove Baptist Church in Florida, where he shepherds parents, students, and children's ministry leaders and equips SBC and local churches in special needs ministry training.
His path into ministry ran through the public-school classroom. A degree in Secondary Education from Clemson and years teaching history and geography gave him a deep conviction: the church can — and must — learn from how people actually grow, learn, and remember, including students with ADHD, dyslexia, and executive function differences.
That conviction was sharpened by a more personal calling. As the parent of a neurodiverse child, Bryan came to see disability ministry and inclusive discipleship not as specialty add-ons but as central to the church's witness. Hidden disabilities in the church — ADHD, dyslexia, autism, anxiety — now shape how he writes, preaches, trains volunteers, and coaches church and SBC leaders.
His doctoral research at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary brought all of this together — examining how local churches and Southern Baptist ministries integrate digital tools into discipleship without losing the embodied, relational core of the gospel, and exploring how technology can serve students with learning disabilities.
Ministry philosophy
Four convictions that shape every conversation.
02
Family-anchored
Parents are the primary disciplers. The church's job is to equip the home, not replace it — especially in families navigating disability, diagnosis, and special needs ministry.
03
Inclusively practiced
Every ministry is already a disability ministry. Inclusive discipleship is not a program — it is a posture that welcomes neurodiverse students into belonging and spiritual formation.
04
Research-informed
Faithful ministry leans on what we actually know about how people learn, grow, and remember — from executive function science to disability theology.
Education
Degrees & doctoral study.
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
Concentration: Teaching and Educational Ministry — SBC seminary
Dissertation: Technology-Mediated Ministry and its Implications for Local Church Discipleship — A Mixed Methods Study
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Master of Arts (MACE)
Christian Education — SBC seminary
Clemson University
B.A. Secondary Education
History and Geography
Ministry experience
Where Bryan has served.
Nearly two decades across small-town and large suburban churches — student ministry, family pastoring, and the slow building of volunteer teams.
Fruit Cove Baptist Church
Family Pastor · St. Johns, FL
Shepherding parents, students, and children's ministry leaders in a Southern Baptist church; launching a disability ministry pathway across the family ministry team.
First Baptist Church of Enterprise
Student & Family Ministry · Enterprise, FL
Rebuilt student ministry rhythms around parent partnership and small-group discipleship in a Southern Baptist church.
Highland Baptist Church
Youth Pastor · Florence, SC
Developed teaching framework rooted in biblical theology and equipped a long-tenured volunteer team in an SBC church.
North Anderson Baptist Church
Student Ministry · Anderson, SC
Served alongside a multi-generational ministry staff while finishing graduate study at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Coats Baptist Church
Ministry Staff · Coats, NC
First vocational ministry role — discipling students and leading worship in a small-town Southern Baptist church.
Sources & citations
The dissertation and the conversations behind the work.
A short bibliography of the research, theological voices, and practitioners that shape Bryan’s teaching, writing, and coaching.
Dissertation
primary researchdeep dive
- Barrineau, B. (2024). Technology-Mediated Ministry and its Implications for Local Church Discipleship: A Mixed Methods Study. Doctoral dissertation, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Why this source matters
Bryan's doctoral research is the connective tissue between his pastoral practice and his teaching. It examines how local churches integrate digital tools into discipleship without losing the embodied, relational core of the gospel — the same tension he addresses with churches in coaching and conference settings.
Disability ministry & belonging
overviewpastoral
- Yong, A. (2011). The Bible, Disability, and the Church: A New Vision of the People of God. Eerdmans.
- Hubach, S. (2020). Same Lake, Different Boat: Coming Alongside People Touched by Disability (rev. ed.). P&R Publishing.
- Carter, E. W. (2007). Including People with Disabilities in Faith Communities: A Guide for Service Providers, Families, and Congregations. Paul H. Brookes.
Why this source matters
These voices shape Bryan's conviction that disability ministry is not a specialty add-on but central to the church's witness. Yong frames a biblical theology of disability, Hubach gives families a pastoral companion, and Carter offers practical research on inclusion across faith communities.
Family discipleship
overviewpractical
- Stinson, R., & Jones, T. P. (Eds.). (2011). Trained in the Fear of God: Family Ministry in Theological, Historical, and Practical Perspective. Kregel Academic.
- Powell, K., & Clark, C. (2011). Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids. Zondervan.
Why this source matters
Bryan's family-anchored philosophy assumes parents are the primary disciplers and the church's job is to equip the home. Stinson and Jones supply the theological and historical foundations; Powell and Clark add longitudinal research on what actually helps faith stick into adulthood.
Technology-mediated ministry
deep diveresearch
- Campbell, H. A. (2020). Digital Creatives and the Rethinking of Religious Authority. Routledge.
- Dyer, J. (2022). People of the Screen: How Evangelicals Created the Digital Bible and How It Shapes Their Reading of Scripture. Oxford University Press.
- Crouch, A. (2017). The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place. Baker Books.
Why this source matters
These works frame the digital landscape Bryan studied in his dissertation. Campbell and Dyer trace how digital tools reshape religious authority and Bible reading; Crouch offers a practical, family-level grammar for keeping technology in its proper place.
Learning, teaching & spiritual formation
foundationalteaching
- Smith, J. K. A. (2016). You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit. Brazos Press.
- Willard, D. (2002). Renovation of the Heart: Putting On the Character of Christ. NavPress.
- Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Why this source matters
Bryan's classroom background shows up here. Smith and Willard ground spiritual formation in habit and character; Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel translate cognitive science on how people actually learn and remember — a posture Bryan brings into both teaching teenagers and training volunteers.
Citations are provided for transparency and further study. Inclusion does not imply full endorsement of every position held by an author or publisher. Editor: run citation check →
Frequently asked
Questions churches, leaders, and parents ask first.
A quick look at how Bryan thinks about ministry, what coaching actually involves, and how he typically partners with churches.