I felt the calling to ministry when I was just 17 years old. Growing up in a small church in rural West Virginia, I was fortunate to be surrounded by a loving group of people who believed in me and supported my spiritual journey.
In 1981, I packed my bags and set off for the Windy City, Chicago, to attend Moody Bible Institute. After completing my studies there, it was time to head south. I landed a position as a youth pastor at Northwood Baptist Church. However, I soon realized that I needed further training. So, my new bride Cindy and I decided to make a move to Dallas, Texas, where we enrolled in Dallas Theological Seminary. Over the years that followed, our family grew to include three amazing children: Brandon, Jordan, and Brianna.
After completing seminary, my family and I returned to South Carolina. There, I had the privilege of serving as an Associate Pastor at Pawleys Island Community Church for seven fulfilling years. The support and guidance of the people around me during that time allowed me to grow in my ministry. It was during this period that I felt God planting a vision in my heart—to establish a church 30 miles north of Pawleys Island.
With the encouragement of Pastor Bob Barrows and the church community, my team and I launched Carolina Forest Community Church in 1997. I had the honor of serving as the Senior Pastor for seven wonderful years. However, God began to burden my heart with a new focus on Leadership Development. In 2004, a lunch meeting with Greg Surratt, the Senior Pastor at Seacoast Church, led to an invitation to join the Seacoast Staff and assist in developing leaders for their multi-site movement. For nearly seven years, I served as the Leadership Development Pastor at Seacoast Church before I felt the call to initiate The Launch Network.
As I led The Launch Network for four years, my team and I eventually changed its name to The Multiply Group. We shifted our focus to serving Church Planting Organizations. In early 2015, a divine prompting from God led Brian Bloye, the founder of Launch, and me to give The Multiply Group to the North American Mission Board. This transition allowed our system to be utilized in assessing and training church planters, benefitting various networks and denominations in their church planting endeavors.
My passion has always centered around cultivating and nurturing leaders for the local church.