Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Farmington, Missouri. My dad’s a pastor, so we moved around a lot when I was little. We lived mostly in northeast Arkansas and southeast Missouri. The place we stayed the longest — the place closest to being home — was Fredericktown, Missouri, a small town of about 5,000.
How large is the family you grew up in?
There were just my parents, my older sister and me.
When and how did you come to know Christ?
When I was 5, I went forward in church, but I didn’t really understand what I was doing. I was baptized. Over the next five years I was baptized and involved about as much as you could be as a kid, but nothing really happened. But when I turned 10, God began to deal with me. I was at a Christian camp where one Wednesday night a man was preaching everything I needed to hear, so I went forward. My dad went with me and prayed with me as I asked Christ into my heart.
What was the first job you ever had?
I was a carhop at the Pig BBQ in Fredericktown. They had the best hot barbecue sauce. They were pretty much the only people in town who would hire someone under 16. I worked there for two years.
Where did you go to college?
I started out at Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, where I got my associate’s degree. I then went to Middle Tennessee University for a few years, took a couple of years off to work, then went back again. I like to say that I crammed four years into seven. I ended up finishing in radio/television. From there, I went to Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, where I got my Master’s in Communication.
When and to whom did you marry?
I married Amanda in August of 1997 right after I graduated from Middle Tennessee State.
How many children do you have?
Three, a son and two daughters.
How did you get into ministry?
My dad was a pastor, so I grew up in and around church. When I was 17, I was at a camp and surrendered to ministry. I didn’t want to do it because I had seen what my dad had gone through as a senior pastor in these little churches. But God wouldn’t let me go. Finally, I said “fine,” and went kicking and screaming. I thought I would be in some kind of parachurch organization and even completed seminary with the expectation that I would never work in a church. But God had other plans. After a year and a half of not being able to get a job in a ministry that was not attached to a church, I told God “OK” and four weeks later I had a job at a church.
Have you ever done any long- or short-term mission work?
For two years in college I was in summer missions, one year on the camp team of the Missouri Baptist Convention. We would travel around every week for 10 weeks to different camps and help out. The other year, I worked with an organization up in Michigan. I’ve also led media teams to Honduras doing events with Team Impact. Those were great experiences. I learned a lot and grew a lot. When you come off of those experiences, you’re much closer to God than when you started because you’re totally separated from everything else. And of course I’ve been involved locally with Love Orlando.
Where else did you serve before coming to First Orlando?
I was a part-time youth minister at Bakers Grove Baptist Church in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville. I was also at Belle Aire Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, as a media intern. My first fulltime ministry job was at First Baptist Church of West Monroe, Louisiana, where I served with (current First Orlando Senior Pastor) David Uth and (current First Orlando Pastor of Worship/Events) Jon Marks. I was the Director of Media Ministries. From there I went to Biltmore Baptist Church in Arden, North Carolina, where I was the Pastor of Media.
What was the turning point of your life?
It happened at a camp — “Super Summer” in Missouri — when I was a high school freshman. I really enjoyed it and found myself learning a lot. At the end of camp, the speaker said to us, “Do you realize that you studied the Bible for over 40 hours this week?” I couldn’t believe it. But it really meant something to me; it was something I could use. It was the first time in my life that my relationship with Christ went from being just something that was there to something that mattered in everyday life. It really helped shape me as a Christian.
What do you like most about your job?
If I were to describe media ministry in general, there are three aspects in general: to facilitate ministry, to enhance ministry and to extend ministry. My job allows me to do all three. I get the most satisfaction when something I’ve been a part of happens the way we tried to make it happen and God works through that to touch people’s lives.
What is your most memorable moment in ministry?
One of the things that was most touching to me is when I was ordained. It was in West Monroe and Pastor David was supposed to have preached that service. My dad was also there to deliver the charge to the candidate, that is, a small speech beforehand. My father-in-law was also there. It turned out that Pastor David had gotten sick and though he attended, he was not able to speak. That meant that my dad got to speak and my father-in-law gave the charge to the candidates. It was a very moving time — much more than I expected.
Do you have a favorite verse?
1 John 4:7-11 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” I also like Jeremiah 20:11: “But the LORD is with me like a dread champion.”
What do you like doing with your free time?
My wife and I love watching movies and reading. I also like working with electronics. And, of course, I love to spend time with my family.
If you weren’t a pastor, what would you be doing?
Before I went into ministry, I worked in retail. I did well at it, but I hated it. So, if I weren’t working here, I’m sure I’d be in retail. I consider myself very fortunate to be working in an area that I love. I love doing what I do.