I am the Chief Launch Officer of The Launch Network, a new church planting network based out of West Ridge Church in the greater Atlanta, Georgia area.  My role is to get The Launch Network up and running, networking with churches and planters to establish healthy church starts across the U.S. and the world.  Our goal is to plant 1000 churches in the next 10 years.  More info and a website will be avaiable October 2010.

I felt a call into ministry when I was 17 years old. Growing up in a small church in rural West Virginia I was surrounded by a loving group of people who believed in me and encouraged my spiritual journey.

In 1981 I packed my bags and moved to the Windy City, Chicago to attend Moody Bible Institute. After graduating Moody it was time to head south, where I took a position as a youth pastor at Northwood Baptist church. It didn’t take long for me to realize I needed more training so my new bride Cindy and I moved to Dallas, Texas to attend Dallas Theological Seminary.

After graduating seminary we moved back to South Carolina where I served for seven years as an Associate Pastor at Pawleys Island Community Church. An incredibly supportive group of people poured their best into me and gave me amazing opportunities to grow in ministry. It was there God birthed a vision in my heart to plant a church 30 miles North of Pawleys Island. With the support of Pastor Bob Barrows and the church, we launched Carolina Forest Community Church in 1997. I served for seven wonderful years as the Senior Pastor at Carolina Forest before God began to lay a huge burden on my heart for Leadership Development. In 2004 after having lunch with Greg Surratt, Senior Pastor at Seacoast Church, he invited me to join Seacoast Staff to help develop leaders for their multi-site movement. I remained there as the Leadership Development Pastor for nearly seven years before accepting the call to start The Launch Network.

Today, my wife Cindy and I live in Dallas, Georgia. We have three children Brandon 20, who is on staff at Seacoast Church as a Worship Leader. Jordan 17, an aspiring graffiti artist and Junior at North Paulding High School. And Brianna 15, who has an amazing eye for fashion and design and Sophmore at North Paulding High School!

In my free time I enjoy going on long walks with Cindy, working out, reading, family fun night on Thursdays when we all gather in the den for snacks, Survivor and The Office.

My passion is growing leaders for the local church. Every time I hear Bill Hybels say “The local church is the hope of the world” my heart comes out of my chest and it increases my sense of urgency for developing leaders who produce leaders.