FBC FAIRBORN - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Next Generation Pastor
- Next Generation Pastor / Department
For as long as I can remember, I have known who Jesus is and that He loves me. I was raised as a Pastor's kid, and was immersed in the message of the Gospel from very early on. It was at the age of 4 that I expressed a desire to be one of God's children, and I prayed with my mother to Him for salvation. I was then baptized by my father after I was able to articulate what I had done.
The story of my life before Christ does not contain a period of open rebellion or running away from God, only for Him to welcome me back with open arms. Rather that story is one of quiet disobedience, of ignoring the tug of the Holy Spirit on my heart. I was saved, but I was content to keep God around for Sundays only. I liked knowing that God would save me from an eternity in hell, but I had no desire to make God the Lord of my life.
But God, being rich in mercy, was not content to leave me there. He used a book I read in high school to finally get my attention. This book defined for me in such simple terms what I had not yet understood-that salvation involves faith and repentance. I was missing that second part. We must have faith in the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf, and then repentance-turning from our sin must follow. Through this realization, God not only enlightened my mind, but he changed my heart. I believe it was at this moment that God made clear His "calling" upon my life to go into ministry. A hunger for the word of God was finally present, where it had never been before, and a genuine grief over my sin began to emerge.
I took steps to follow after this calling and I enrolled in Cedarville University's Master of Divinity program. I graduated with my Mdiv in the Spring of 2022. I love First Baptist Fairborn; it has become home to my wife Jalyn and I. We are excited about what the Lord is going to do with this church for years to come, and we hope the Lord will allow us to be a small part of that.
Hello and thank you for taking the time to visit our staff page. I grew up in central Florida where my parents taught me to trust in Jesus, read my Bible, and showed me the importance of the local church. As I grew in my understanding of sin, I realized that I was guilty before a holy God. I listened as different teachers in my church explained to me that I needed to trust in the death of Jesus for God to forgive me and give me a new heart to love only Him. I expressed this new trust publicly when I was baptized at 12 years old.
During the next six years I began to understand that if I wanted to follow Jesus it would require much more than my heart was ready to give. I grew up loving sports. Specifically, basketball. I loved basketball so much that it was becoming a hindrance to my commitment to follow Jesus. Honestly, I loved basketball more than I loved Jesus. I knew God was telling me to leave basketball behind and be fully devoted to whatever He wanted me to do, but I was too stubborn to obey. So God, in His great mercy, did it for me. Through a painful experience, I was cut from my high school basketball team my senior year and God used this event to get my full attention. Now I had nothing but Jesus for an identity and now God could use me as He pleased.
The removal of basketball from my heart was replaced with a calling to pastor. I immediately gave my full attention to learning everything I could about Jesus and how to lead others to Him. The next 8 years was devoted to higher education where I had the privilege of learning from some of the wisest men I know who taught me what it takes to be a pastor. Afterwards I gained helpful experiences in different pastoral roles in several churches until I was led to accept my current position at First Baptist Fairborn. It is truly a privilege to pastor here. To God be the glory!