I am blessed beyond belief to have the privilege of being a pastor. I love being with people and seeing them grow and change, to face suffering with resilience. It is such a special gift to be with people in the most intimate moments of their life and see them encounter Jesus. I also love communicating about and leading others to Jesus, and letting all that is amazing, awe inspiring, and good about Him shine through my brokenness. I believe it is important for me to lead out of my brokenness and put my brokenness on display to magnify how good and powerful Jesus is. The apostle Paul stated, “Jesus came to save sinners of whom I am the worst.” I truly believe this about myself. And, I believe people are invited to step out of their own darkness and shame into the light of God’s perfect love when they see someone up front or someone in a position of authority vulnerably displaying their weaknesses along the journey of transformation.
I love being part of something so much bigger than myself. Jesus started a movement 2000 years ago and it is nothing less than the salvation of humanity. The language of multiplication really expresses for me the nature of Jesus’ movement. This stirs in me the passion for multiplying disciples of Jesus, developing leaders, and planting churches ethnically and geographically so that all people from all nations can be saved and transformed. The eternal destiny of humanity, of our neighbors is at stake.
For this reason, I particularly love being a pastor in Worthington, MN. Heaven is described as a place where people from every tribe, tongue, and nation worship Jesus together. Only Jesus can break down the dividing walls that separate us by skin color, language, culture, gender, etc. In Worthington, I get to be a part of seeing a foretaste of Heaven on earth as we at Grace pursue being a church of all nations, because of Jesus.
History
My roots are Southern, but I spent the majority of my life in rural South Central Nebraska (Kearney, NE). In 2008, My family and I moved to Minnesota, and in August 2011 I began ministry as the Senior Pastor of Grace Community Church. I am blessed by my wonderful wife Jane and we have two sons, Ian and Xander. After having Ian, my wife and I struggled through secondary infertility and multiple miscarriages. God opened our hearts to the gift of adoption and we have been blessed to welcome our son Xander into our hearts and home.
Interests and Hobbies
I love to be with Jane, Ian and Xander playing sports, being outdoors, or playing strategy games. I still love to play Soccer, Ultimate Frisbee, Disc Golf, Tennis, Softball, etc. I also enjoy deep conversations on topics of philosophy, organizational leadership, or theology, with a tasty beverage of course. I am a big fan of college football; I have a split allegiance between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. And don’t forget food! I love to grill, smoke, roast coffee, make salsa and hot sauce.
Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
History
I was born in the city of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. My parents decided that I should learn English as a second language, and signed me up in a bilingual school when I was three years old. In 2016 I moved to Spain to pursue a Theological Studies degree. In early 2017, Kristi and I met and were married at the end of the year. Kristi had ties to Worthington, and when we visited, I was able to experience its diversity. In 2021 I finished my degree and joined Grace Community Church as Pastor of Spanish Ministries.
Ministry/Passion
I long to be transformed according to the image of Jesus Christ, consistently learning more about His life, death and resurrection and its practical implications for me and the community I belong to. Since God has made His revelation available through Scripture, I am passionate about studying and learning from it in community, to be challenged and shaped by its truthfulness. It is in Scripture that we find that Jesus has called all people to Himself, to become one as He and the Father are one. Therefore, I am blessed and honored to be serving as Pastor of Spanish Ministries here at Grace. Together, we will be learning, growing and pondering what it means, individually and collectively, to become one body united by our allegiance to Jesus, the King and Lord of all.
Interests/Hobbies
I love being with Kristi; we enjoy reading books, going for walks, traveling, trying new food, figuring out life, and visiting friends and family. I also find much joy in having good deep conversations, learning from and with people. Even though I do not follow soccer in a regular basis, I passionately look forward to the FIFA World Cup (which only happens every four years, sadly) and watch every game.
I am convinced that as followers of Jesus, what we do in and through our lives is not in vain. We have partnered with Him to advanced his Kingdom, hoping that at His time all “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).
Lay Leadership of the Church
Elders:
Mark Isder Dan Hibma
Phil Smith
Jonathan Sanders
Deacons:
Neal Vellema
Lee Buchholz
Kale Leuthold
Jason Larsen
Tim Neuman