What do you do at Mid-Cities?

As the Senior Associate Pastor, my job description changes frequently. I serve on our Lead Team, oversee the Groups Team, provide covering for our Adult Ministries staff, and assist Pastor Daniel with new initiatives to fulfill our vision of Reaching, Growing, and Sending. Recent adventures include helping Shelia Davis launch our Parents Day Out program and working with Pastor Daniel Hernandez to birth Mid-Cities en Espanol. I’m currently working on a new Leadership Track designed to help those who sense a call to vocational ministry or to higher capacity volunteer roles in the local church. Stay tuned for more details coming soon.

When did you feel called to ministry?

I grew into ministry. I responded to the good news of Jesus my senior year in high school. Within a year, I was volunteering with high school students at Trinity Church in Lubbock, Texas. A year later, I was asked to be an intern where I worked 20 hours a week learning ministry and popped popcorn at The Corn Popper an additional 10-15 hours a week. At the time, I wanted to be a Secret Service Agent (still do). At the age of 20, I was invited to become a full-time youth pastor. I never imagined becoming a pastor, and now it’s hard to imagine doing anything else. As much as I would still enjoy protecting the president, 20 plus years of vocational ministry has been an incredible ride.

When and why did you choose Mid-Cities?

Bonnie and I joined Mid-Cities in June 2007. My relationship with Pastor Daniel dates back many years ago where we both served on staff together at a church in Lubbock, Texas. In 2002, we moved to the Northwest at the same time Pastor Daniel came to Midland as the youth pastor. Pastor Daniel and I stayed in touch and eventually he invited us to join the staff here. After months of prayer, God led us away from the trees, rivers, waterfalls, mountains, and beaches to be part of the special work God is doing here in the Permian Basin.

What are you most excited about when it comes to your specific area of ministry?

We moved to a team approach with groups ministry about a year ago. It’s been fun to see the overall number of groups increase substantially, group health rise to new levels, and support our group leaders better than ever. Great things are happening in groups across the Permian Basin.

Who are you, really?

Maybe the most misunderstood guy on staff! People are often intimidated by me, but I’m really rather harmless. I’m the guy you have to get to know to fully appreciate. I’m passionate about life and making a difference. Our family loves sports and reaching into the community so we created 3:23 Ministries, Inc., a nonprofit sports ministry that currently operates travel teams in baseball and volleyball. Bonnie and I married in 1993 and have two tween children. It’s a crazy, busy, wonderful time of life for us.