Oversees – family ministries, missions, and outreach
Nate’s ministry training began very early in life; born in the Dominican Republic, his parents served as missionaries until he was six years old. After moving back to Ohio as a child, he grew up on a country farm and spent many years observing the faithfulness of his parents and grandparents who truly loved the Lord.
Unfortunately their faith did not simply transfer to young Nate by observation and he struggled throughout his youth, getting involved with the wrong crowds as his desire for social acceptance overshadowed thoughts of godliness.
A life that was quickly headed toward a path of self-destruction was suddenly halted when a young lady with whom he had a relationship sensed the Lord’s conviction to end the friendship. After two years of dating one another, this breakup left Nate devastated. Trying to find comfort in whatever he could, Nate, for the first time, genuinely turned to the Word of God. The Lord led him to a few verses that would change the path of his future. He read in Acts 20:23-24 how Paul was not concerned about a future imprisonment and impending death because he had a ministry to carry out – preaching the Gospel. At that moment a conviction came across Nate that he would never shake.
After living life up until this point for himself, Nate then truly surrendered to God’s will. He was reminded of the humble profession of faith he had made so many years earlier as a kid while attending Miracle Camp in Michigan; that simple profession had taken root and God was truly at work.
Two weeks later he found himself attending a Bible school in Minneapolis, MN called Magdalen
College. The program was designed to train men and women for the ministry. While there, Nate and the other students had a whirl-wind opportunity to visit some 30 different countries while studying and serving on short-term missions.
After he came home in 2002 Nate began interning for a local church in Wauseon, Ohio. The following year on June 27, he married Stephanie, the young lady who previously made the difficult decision to trust the Lord by ending their relationship. Little did she know how God would use her in His grand plan to get Nate’s attention. Together they have been blessed with two children, Meredith and Hope.
Nate has since received a Bachelor of Applied Science in Biblical Studies at Louisiana Baptist University, and in 2006, they moved their family to Ft. Wayne, IN where Nate took the call to serve as pastor of Highland Bethel Church.
He is an avid sports fan, wishes he was hunting, and enjoys tinkering with projects either construction or automotive related, but especially the ones where he doesn’t know what he is doing.
Twitter @HGCpastornate