Leadership

Life with the LORD is an adventure! As a boy from Minnesota, I didn’t know that I would have to go to West Africa to find my wife, Carol, who happens to come from Belgium. Married now since 1992, we are still crazy in love with each other. The proud parents of our 3 (now adult) children, we look forward to being grandparents one day!
 
I’m a graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato (BSc, International Business) and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (MDiv). I’ve also taken several doctoral courses and see the importance of on-going education and training.
 
Possessing a curious mind and a hunger for learning, I love discovering how God works in all of life and growing in my understanding of Him through His Word and through creation. I’m an avid reader and am usually working through several books at a time. Some of my favorite authors would include R. C. Sproul, John Piper, and D. A. Carson. One thing I find fun is to peruse YouTube videos, listening to good messages and apologetic answers to questions about faith and the truth. In general, I’m drawn to most of those connected with The Gospel Coalition, Together for the Gospel, and Ligonier Ministries.
 
Hobbies I enjoy include going on hikes with my wife, watching a good detective series, spending time in the garden, and watching just about any sporting event. My favorite sports teams (especially the Minnesota Vikings) have taught me a lot about patience, longsuffering, and dealing with disappointment.
 
I love what I am doing at EFC. As the Senior Pastor, I get to meld together my experiences as a missionary, seminary professor, baseball coach, campus evangelist, husband, and father in teaching with passion the Word of God and calling God’s People to pursue Christ and find their true treasure in Him.

As a native Southerner, one of the things that endeared me to Oroville was the rural surroundings and the friendliness of the people. I came to EFC in January of 2015 to serve as Student Ministries Pastor, having moved from Bend, Oregon by way of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
I am a graduate of Union University (B.A. in Christian Ministries) in Jackson, TN and Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div) in Memphis, TN. Through the course of my studies, I have grown to love the writings of R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, John Piper and Kevin DeYoung, while also appreciating many of the "old guys" such as Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards and John Owen.
I have served in Student Ministry for over 20 years and one of my favorite things in the world is to see young people develop a passion for God and His Word. 
I enjoy spending time with my wife and two boys, while also watching the "occasional" Alabama football game (Roll Tide!) My favorite movies are the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the original Star Wars trilogy, and The Goonies.