About Grace

I am the lead pastor and primary teaching elder of Grace Bible Church. I have been married to my wonderful wife Heidi since 1997, and we have three beautiful children together, Elizabeth, Rachel, and Benjamin. I served in various student ministries beginning in 1996, and graduated from The Master’s Seminary in 2003 with a Masters of Divinity. I am currently working on a Doctorate of Ministry at Western Seminary in Portland. Previous to planting Grace Bible Church of Bend, I was the Student Ministry Pastor at Independent Bible Church in Port Angeles from June of 2003 - June of 2011. The desire of my heart is to glorify God by using my life and gifts to help people follow the Lord Jesus Christ. I am committed to preaching the eternal truths of God’s Holy Word and calling people to live as the body of Christ in community with one another.

I am blessed to be the husband of one wife, Lisa, since 1984 and father to three adult children, Julie, Amy, and Jason. Both Lisa and I, as well as our children, were saved in our childhood. The Lord has consistently been gracious as he has led us and kept us. As I mature in faith, I can say along with Paul, “I am chief among sinners,” as I realize my utter dependency on my mighty Savior. We have been a part of Grace Bible since Easter 2013, when Crossroads Community Church joined with Grace. I served as a bi-vocational pastor/elder at Crossroads for four years, and prior to that was part of pastoral preaching teams for seven years. Lisa and I have been involved in church ministry and leadership from the early years of our marriage, serving and teaching in children’s classes, home fellowship groups, and as community group leaders. We are so thankful to be part of the body at Grace Bible.

I spent most of my childhood growing up in Papua New Guinea as a missionary kid. Seeing the gospel go forth and witnessing churches being planted in remote tribal regions had a profound and lasting impact on my life. At an early age, I repented of my sin and placed my faith in Jesus. After graduating high school, I moved back to the U.S. and pursued a B.A. in Music Ministry from Simpson University. During my time at college I met my best friend Cassidy, who would later become my wife. Upon graduating, I moved to Portland, Oregon, where Cassidy and I got married, worked, and joined a healthy church where we grew further in our faith and served. In 2012, we moved to Bend for me to join the staff here at Grace Bible. We consider it a blessing to be part of this local church and to witness God’s transforming work in people’s lives. We have two daughters, Clara and Audrey. In my spare time I enjoy snowboarding, fly fishing, and hiking.

I grew up in Boise, Idaho as the youngest of three children. My parents were faithful Christians who raised my siblings and me in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. I came to faith at an early age, and the Lord matured that faith as a young adult through time studying at Prairie Bible College. It was at Prairie that I met my best friend and beautiful wife LaDessa. We have three children, Abbie, Luke, and Sam. I have worked at Bend Memorial Clinic for the last nine years as a Nurse Practitioner in the specialty of Pulmonary, Sleep, and Critical Care. We have been at Grace since 2015 and are so thankful to the Lord for this church family. We have had the joy of serving in the children's ministry, biblical counseling, and as community group leaders. I enjoy studying the Word of God and have a heart for missions and the local church. In my spare time I like to read, hike, camp, mountain bike, play basketball, garden, and spend time with my family.

I was 17 years old when I attended church for the first time in my life. I soon got  plugged into a college group, and started growing as a Christian after hearing the gospel and giving my life to Jesus Christ. It was during this time that I met my wife Amy. We began to grow in the Lord together and were married in the summer of 1992. God has blessed us with three wonderful children, Hannah, Jeremy, and Megan. I have worked in sales management and business development for a title company for approximately twenty years. We moved to Bend and began attending Grace Bible in early 2016, and this church has been a huge blessing in our lives. I love that GBC is gospel-centered and completely devoted to the Lord and His Word. I've been privileged to serve at the information booth, on the offering team, and as a co-community group leader in addition to my role as an elder. In my spare time I enjoy fly fishing, time outdoors, spending time with my family, and studying the Word.