After being converted in 1999, I immediately became involved in the local church ministry. My father was attending Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, where I too began to attend. I started to serve on the ushering team where I was responsible to seat service attendees, serve communion, answer basic questions about the church’s facilities, etc. During that time I was asked to take over as head usher and was responsible for leading a team to provide security and standard usher services.
Later, my wife and I decided to find a local church in our area that was similar to our doctrinal positions. Calvary Chapel seemed to be the best fit so we joined Calvary Chapel Wildwood. There I developed a “call” to ministry. I eventually was asked to lead the Acts 242 ministry where I oversaw all of the small groups. I ultimately decided to jump back into ministry where I took on the role (not the title) of a pastor, but due to some conflicting doctrinal beliefs (primarily, my view on soteriology), my wife and I were forced to leave a church that we loved.
Based on the advice of some close confidants and pastors, I enrolled in the Applied Theology Program and California Baptist University. It was there that my love for theology and scholarship blossomed. I also applied at a small, local Southern Baptist Church where I was hired as the director of Children’s and Young Adult Ministries. I preached my first sermon in front of a church full of people who were very gracious to a young (and immature!) aspiring pastor who had no business preaching in front of farm animals let alone human beings. During that enriching time, my wife and I found out that she was suffering from low blood pressure and was unable to work her standard hours and I needed to find full-time employment in order to pay our bills. I ended up resigning from my position and took a full-time position outside of the church.
My hope is that, through acquiring a MABS through Redemption Seminary, I will be able to provide a higher level of training/teaching to the local church. Many people within the local church are unable to enroll in Bible college, seminary, or even a certificate program. Therefore, I’m eager to help equip the church in a way that most don’t have access to.