Hello!

Let me introduce myself. I'm a husband, dad, and pastor, originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and currently living in Peotone, Illinois. I love to run, write, drink coffee, cheer for Michigan Sports, read good books, and enjoy nature, but most of all I seek to be defined by my love for Jesus. I've called myself a Christian for most of my life, but I truly made following Jesus a priority when I was in college and realized how I'd casually been slipping away from the faith I had always said was important to me. My renewed commitment to Jesus caused me to pursue more ways to serve Him, which eventually led to volunteering in my church's youth group. At one of our volunteer meetings, my mentor and youth pastor, Don, told me (note, I didn't say asked!) that I was going to teach a lesson to the group in a few weeks. To my surprise, I found I was actually excited to do this. When the night of that lesson finally came, I'm not sure I can say that it was any good, but I was filled with an overwhelming sense that it was what God made me to do. That night I told God that if He wanted me to be a pastor, that's what I would do, and my life has been on that path ever since. That was almost 20 years ago, and my journey since then has been filled with all sorts of twists and turns, but God has used them all to build me into a better person and pastor. My wife Jennifer and I were married in 2006, had our first son in 2014, and our second son in 2019. I attended Grand Rapids Theological Seminary from 2005-2009 and earned a Master of Divinity with and emphasis in pastoral ministry. And since 2004 I've served in six different churches, and a Christian residential home for at-risk teenagers, where I've worked in children's, youth, college, worship, small groups, guest services, church leadership, and teaching ministries. As I've studied the Bible along the way, I've developed a deep respect for it and for the way God uses it to change lives. My goal is to teach the Bible to people in a way that makes it come alive to them so they can connect to God, become like Jesus, and grow in their love for Him and for others.

Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.

-Steve