I was born in Minnesota (Sept. 17, 1966) and raised in Belton, MO. At the age of 17 I entered the U.S. Marine Corps as a rifleman and later served as a Presidential Guard during the Reagan administration. After my honorable discharge, I completed a B.S.B.A. in accounting at Central Missouri State University. After graduation, I worked for Price Waterhouse (where I met, Sue, my wife) as an auditor, and later for Blue Hills Homes Corporation as an accountant and systems administrator. Later on I earned my M.A. in Theology and Biblical Studies from Luther Rice Seminary, and currently I am finishing up my Master of Divinity (with languages) in preparation for a ThD (doctorate in theology).
I was ordained by and sent out from the Kansas City Baptist Temple in August of 1995. Sue and I spent about two years in Bogotá, Colombia, learning language and culture under the ministry of "La Biblia Dice" church. Later, God opened the door for us to move to San José, Costa Rica, where we ministered at Emanuel Baptist Church. After five years at Emanuel developing Bible Institute curriculum and building the discipleship ministry, we started Eastside Church on the opposite side of town on March 3, 2002. If you would like to see more of that ministry, please visit this page...
In December 2010, at the request of our sending local church, we returned from the mission field and are currently living in Overland Park, Kansas. I work in Olathe, Kansas, as a bilingual claims adjuster for a large, national insurance company. And I pastor Harvest Baptist Church, a new work that God has graciously allowed me to start in southern Johnson County, Kansas.
I am a pastor-teacher (Eph 4.11-12) currently living, working, and ministering in southern Johnson County, Kansas (that's in the southwest corner of the Kansas City metro area). On this page I've tried to put together a brief summary of my background and the ministry in which we (my family and I) are involved.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: I have a BSBA in Accounting from Central Missouri State University. Before entering vocational ministry, I was an accountant for Price Waterhouse accounting firm.
Shepherd's School of Ministry: I also completed the four-year Bible Institute at the Kansas City Baptist Temple (KCBT).
Master of Arts, Theology and Biblical Studies: I have a MA in Biblical Studies from Luther Rice Seminary.
Master of Divinity with Biblical Languages: I am currently finishing up a Master of Divinity degree, focusing on Greek and Hebrew, with Columbia Evangelical Seminary. I wanted to finish up my MDiv with languages in order to continue in a doctoral program (ThD, Doctor of Theology).
Ministry Training
It was required of all Shepherd's School students to be involved in a weekly ministry that "invested the Word of God in other people." This requirement provided the students with an "outlet" for what we were learning, and it also helped train us up for practical ministry of the Word later on. Here are some of the ministries I participated in:
Nursing Homes: Sunday services, including preaching and visitation.
Jail Ministry: Bible studies in the KC Cherry St. Juvenille Detention Center.
Street Evangelism: Tracts, one-on-one witnessing, open-air preaching.
Circuit Preaching: We provided "pulpit supply" in a five-State area (Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Arkansas, and Illinois) for churches which either had no pastor or whose pastor was away for one reason or another (vacation, conference, etc.).
Interim Pastor: One of the circuit churches (Eudora, KS) called me to be their interim pastor for about six months. (This is what I ended up doing during my last year or two at KCBT: working as an accountant, finishing Shepherd's School, and preaching and pastoring on the circuit and in Eudora).
Ministry History
Two Years in Bogotá, Colombia
We (my wife and I) were sent out of KCBT in August of 1995 as missionaries to Latin America. We spent our first two years in Bogotá, Colombia, learning language and beginning the slow process of adapting to culture. Our first year there was spent concentrating on formal classes in Spanish, and the following year was dedicated to using the language in the minsitry of the Word.
Five Years in Hatillo: Associate Pastor
After our time in Colombia, God opened the door for us to move to San José, Costa Rica, where I was an associate pastor at Emanuel Baptist in Hatillo (on the west side of town). In addition to preaching, I also taught in their Bible institute and worked with people in their discipleship ministry. We spent five years at Emanuel in Hatillo, and then God moved us to the east side of town.
Nine Years at Eastside Church: Founding & Senior Pastor
In September of 2001 we started a home Bible study which later (March of 2002) became Eastside Church (La Iglesia del Este) on the east side of San José, two blocks from the university (and half a block from the bar district). I was the founding and senior pastor of Eastside Church until the pastors of our sending church, the Kansas City Baptist Temple, asked us to return home. God raised up several capable and gifted men of solid character to pastor and lead Eastside Church in our absence.
I documented our transition back from the mission field in several update letters. If you'd like, you can read them following these links:
Currently at Harvest Baptist Church: Founding & Senior Pastor
In December of 2010 we returned from the foreign field and soon started a new church in southern Johnson County, Kansas (in the area of Overland Park and Olathe). Since I grew up in the Kansas City area, I feel very much at home here and, therefore, have no intentions of every leaving. If God would see fit to allow me to continue as pastor of Harvest Baptist Church for the rest of my life, I would be quite content with that. Kansas City is populated by hundreds of evangelical churches, the majority of which have departed from the faith and have chosen to follow man's wisdom in entertainment-oriented, seeker-sensitive, purpose-driven "worship" services. They have become men-pleasers rather than God-pleasers. The need for solid, biblical, active local churches here is glaring. If you'd like to visit Harvest Baptist's website, here is the link:
We believe that the Great Commission places an obligation on every born-again believer to intentionally evangelize the lost (2Cor 5.18-20). This can take place in the context of friends, family, and co-workers; or (as is my personal favorite) this can take place on the streets. Here are a couple videos of what we do out on the streets (you can see more out on my YouTube Channel, and on VideoPile; we also participate in a web site dedicated to biblical evangelism):
Biblical Discipleship
I've written and compiled a discipleship program that is being used in several local churches and ministries in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. We offer the entire program free of charge to anyone: www.discipuladobiblico.com. The course takes, on average, about three years as the disciple works his or her way through over 1,000 pages of Bible studies which focus not only on sound doctrine but also on the practical application of biblical principles in daily life.
Expository Preaching
I am committed to the expository preaching of God's Word and so as God opens doors for Sunday ministry, I preach and teach through a book of the Bible, verse by verse. Here are some of the books of the Bible I've preached through:
In addition to preaching through entire books of the Bible, I believe a good topical sermon series every now and then is healthy for a congregation. Here are a couple of the series I have preached and taught:
Systematic Theology (almost 40 messages covering a range of topics in theology)
Theological Training
One of the greatest needs today all over the world (especially in "Churched" areas like North and Latin America) is theological training, both biblical and applied theology. Many pastors and leaders have never had the opportunity to formally prepare themselves for the ministry of God's Word, especially in the developing world of Latin America. Many those who have received academic preparation struggle to apply it in practical ways in their ministry. We are working to fill that need by:
Providing free access to all our Bible study materiales: Discipleship materials, books I have written, and all our teaching in audio and written format.
Providing an example, to the best of our ability (and by the grace of God), of the work of God done God's way (e.g., through videos and visits).
Missions, Foreign & Domestic
We are committed to reaching the world, wherever God would open a door of opportunity for us, through the teaching and training we offer. For example, Eastside Church's (which does not include our evangelism or discipleship sites) had over 65,000 visits in 2009, from 69 different countries (Google Analytics Report for 2009).
