General Family, Calling, and Ministry Experience Info
My wife, Autumn, and I have been married for almost 15 years! During those 15 amazing years, we have been blessed with 5 incredibly beautiful children! Lorelei is 13, Landon is 12, Allie is 10, Elijah is 9, and Everett is 6. They definitely keep us on our toes! I have been involved in Student and Family Ministry for over 15 years, and have served as the Student Ministries Pastor at 2 large churches in South Florida – Boca Raton Community Church and Cape Christian Fellowship. I have led student ministries of under 20 students to over 300 students. I am an avid sports fan, and specifically root for the Cincinnati Reds, Ohio State football and basketball, and the Green Bay Packers. My passion is to see individuals grasp the truth of the Gospel and live out an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ!
I remember battling back and forth with God during my senior year in high school. I was passionate about relationships, sports, and making money, but I was missing the one thing that was most important – what did God desire of me? After graduating high school, I recognized the significance of being involved in my local church. But what frustrated me, is every church I attended seemed to only need help within student ministry. I felt like I was just a college kid being used, because nobody really had a heart for students. But at the same time, I thought students were nothing but obnoxious punks. After moving from Michigan to Florida in 2003, God immediately picked me up and began shaking the craziness out of me. I began teaching twice a week and leading most of the youth ministry events and services at the church I was attending. I also worked with the Lee County Parks and Recreation department as a youth counselor. It was through these opportunities that God began opening my eyes to what He had in store for me. I attended a student leadership conference in 2004 that was centered around the topic of heroes. It was during this week that I finally realized God had called me to something greater than myself, something greater than what I wanted or desired. I finished my education through Liberty University and took a position as the Student Ministries Pastor at Boca Raton Community Church, in Boca Raton, FL. After successfully serving there for three years, God called our family back to the west coast of Florida to Cape Christian Fellowship, in Cape Coral, FL. For the next several years, I served as the Student Ministries Pastor and Family Ministry Pastor. My main focus was our middle and high school student ministry, but I also oversaw the entire vision, culture, and team within all of our church’s family ministries.
In May 2015, I stepped out of my full-time position at Cape Christian Fellowship. While I stepped away from receiving my paycheck from a church, I have not left ministry. Our family experienced an amazing season of healing, and we believe God has incredible things in store for us. I am currently self-employed, and we launched a home church in September 2015. My prayer is that we can continue sharing the truth of Scripture and impacting others for the cause of Christ. I will forever be passionate about seeing individuals become more like Christ while seeing entire families experience the fullness and greatness of God!
As we look towards the future, we are constantly trusting in God’s guidance and provision. We have experienced His goodness in so many ways over the past few years. He has opened the door for us to be His hands and feet on our kids’ athletic fields, in our own neighborhood, and throughout our entire community! We have learned how significant every small conversation can be, and we trust that God will continue to use us beyond what we can comprehend!
My Favorite Books
- Crazy Love, Francis Chan
- Not a Fan, Kyle Idleman
- Radical, David Platt
- Better Off Without Jesus, Chuck Bomar
- Forgotten God, Francis Chan
- Heaven is a Place on Earth, Michael Wittmer
- Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
- Follow Me, David Platt
Top Youth Ministry Books & Resources
- Youth Ministry 3.0, Mark Oestreicher
- Simple Student Ministry, Eric Geiger
- Speaking to Teenagers, Duffy Robins
- Family Based Youth Ministry, Mark DeVries
- Building a Youth Ministry that Builds Disciples, Duffy Robins
- Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry, Andrew Root
- Jesus Centered Youth Ministry, Rick Lawrence
- Sustainable Youth Ministry, Mark DeVries
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