About

Scott was born in Fort Ord, California on October 8, 1965 to Jim and Rebecca Suiter Aleridge. He has an older sister, Paige, and a younger sister, Stacy. He grew up in a military home as his father served in the army from 1956 until 1976. His father served two tours in Vietnam and was highly decorated. Although his family did travel with the military in his early years, the majority of his childhood from age five was spent in Clarksville
Tennessee which is where his mother grew up. His mother continues to work, but his father passed away in 1997 from cancer.

Scott’s first experiences of church life began during his childhood at Pleasant View Baptist Church where his mother’s family still attends. At age eleven, he attended the Presbyterian Church and became involved in the Youth Program. He was confirmed and baptized in the Presbyterian Church at age twelve. He attended elementary, middle, and high school in a predominantly military-related community which was made up of a mixture of races from several different countries. He participated in a variety of activities such as Student Council, track team, theatre, Key Club, and he also worked at a local fast food restaurant. During this time he also excelled academically and graduated in the top ten percent of his class. His major interests in college were his campus leadership roles and communication arts classes. His main emphasis in undergraduate study was speech communication, focusing on the debate team and public address. He was involved in student government and elected fraternity president of Sigma Chi. These educational opportunities and leadership roles taught him the importance of preparation, planning, and performance.

After college, he attended Brentwood United Methodist Church in Brentwood, Tennessee where he realized his call to the pastoral ministry. His business experience from 1989 to 1999 with Taylor Publishing Company taught him the importance of time management, goal setting, and communication. He and his wife, the former Beth Lindsey of Lawrenceburg, daughter of Jim and Mary Nell Lindsey, attended Austin Peay State University together in the 1980’s, and they later married in 1997. They have one son, James Scott, age 6 years, and a daughter, Lindsey, age 5 years.

He has served the ministry in metro Atlanta, Georgia at Northside United Methodist Church from 1999 – 2002; Antioch/Dunn United Methodist Churches in Lawrence County from 2002 – 2005; Inglewood UMC in Nashville from 2005 – 2009. He was appointed to Columbia FUMC in June, 2009. His continued plans for service in the UMC as an Ordained Elder are to serve under the direction of the Bishop.