Pastor
St. Peter's By-the-Sea Presbyterian Church
In January 2018, Steve was called to serve St. Peter’s By-the-Sea in Huntington Beach. This call was something of a homecoming for him. More than 20 years prior, Steve was the Director of Discipleship in the early days of St. Peter’s. After finishing seminary he served as Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Fullerton before giving 14 years to a creative ministry venture in South Orange County (Village Presbyterian Church and Common Villages in Ladera Ranch). Steve is often conspiring with others to find innovative ways to proclaim Christ and demonstrate God’s love beyond the walls of the church.
Steve is a graduate of Long Beach State (Speech Communication, Bachelor of Arts, 1987) Fuller Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity, 1996) and Columbia Theological Seminary (Gospel and Culture, Doctor of Ministry, 2006) in Decatur, Georgia, where he learned to eat grits and say “hey y’all” with a very convincing accent. His ideal day includes paddling out at San Onofre for a few good waves (if you ask him about sharks, he’ll change the subject so don’t bother). Steve and his wife, Joy are now enjoying the season of watching their three “children” emerge as compassionate, educated, energetic young adults in this world. This brings to mind the wisdom of one of Steve’s mentors, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” (Ferris Bueller)