Our Story
Steven accepted the call to ministry as a bi-vocational youth and college pastor in 2016. During this time, God gave him the passion to invest in the lives of individuals who would carry on the torch for the next generation. During that period, Steven worked 60 hours per week in a secular job, went to seminary full-time, and tried to find time to be with family, all while running a ministry that never operated on a part-time status. When Steven combined all of his obligations with the lack of resources and training he received in his ministry position, he swiftly approached burnout. He struggled to expand his ministry and have a real impact on the young people he was called to and, like so many others in his position, he measured success in worldly terms which contributed to that burnout.
As Steven pushed forward in ministry, he was determined to "make disciples" and he found that creating a healthy ministry revolved most around the proper teaching of God's Word. Jesus didn't just command His disciples to advance the gospel but to also teach those they reach to observe all that He had commanded (Matthew 28:19-20). Students in Steven's ministry began to grow in their walk with Christ as the Word of God became their primary focus and as they explored the Scriptures together. When Steven prioritized teaching the truths of God's Word, everything else fell into place; students began to grow and be discipled. It was at this time, that Steven devoted himself to becoming a better expositor of God's Word; allowing that to be the foundation of his ministry. What he found was that when he devoted himself to the reading, studying, and teaching of God's Word (Ezra 7:10) , he was able to properly equip those he led for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-16).
Our Vision
Matthew 4 details the narrative of Jesus calling His first disciples. "Follow Me," Jesus says, "and I will make you fishers of men" (Matt 4:19). He then spends the next three and a half years pouring into these disciples and teaching them the doctrines that would eventually enable them to establish the early church. It was the truth about God's Word that grew them and enabled them. But it was Jesus' first statement that changed Steven's entire perspective on ministry and his duty as a disciple of Christ. Jesus gives three things for His followers to model in that one statement.
"Follow Me" - We are to become sacrificial with our life, belongings, and gifts. Following Jesus means we devote every aspect of ourselves to Him. Jesus makes us sacrificial. When it comes to teaching God's Word, it means we devote ourselves to His truths, forsaking our beliefs and opinions.
"I will make you" - When we give ourselves to Jesus, He will then transform us into a completely new person through His power alone. Jesus makes us transformational. Concerning our teaching and preaching, we believe the Spirit will use God's Word to shape those we're called to.
"Fishers of men" - That transformation will create in us the desire to reach others with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus makes us relational. Every time Jesus gives us the opportunity to speak His truth, we use it to persuade others of the good news.
For this reason, we define expository preaching as:
Expository preaching is a Spirit-led method of teaching that discerns the original meaning of a passage through the careful historical, grammatical, literary, and biblical study of that text with the purpose of leading listeners to the redeeming work of Christ.
419 strives to help you build ministries that model this idea of discipleship; to build a future church that strives to be sacrificial, transformational, and relational by teaching leaders how to effectively present God's Word. We believe it is only God's Word and its truth that can make these kinds of healthy disciples.
At 419 Ministries, it is our mission to reach and disciple young people by ministering to those who shepherd them. Having experienced bi-vocation ministry himself, Steven understands the restraints next-gen leaders have when it comes to accessing resources, teaching materials, and networking with other like-minded leaders. At 419 Ministries, we hope to be able to come alongside you and your ministry to fill the gap and help you build a strong, healthy, Christ-centered ministry that allows the Word of God to do the growing.