|
 Pastor Joseph E. Kline was born on August 12,
1975 and reared in northeastern Pennsylvania. He was reared in a Christian home,
his father being a Baptist pastor. At the tender age of five years old, Pastor
Kline accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour, being led to the Lord by
his mother. His father later baptized him at the age of eight at the Shamokin
Baptist Church in Shamokin, Pennsylvania.
His father started and pastored 3 different churches since entering the
ministry, giving Pastor Kline a unique perspective on church life. At seventeen
years old, Bro. Kline felt the Lord’s calling in his life. While attending to
his personal devotion time, he surrendered his life to the Lord and accepted the
call to preach the Gospel. It was a decision that would change the course of his
life forever.
In 1994, he enrolled for college at Pensacola Christian College, where he
attended for one year, before transferring to Northeast Baptist Bible College.
It was in this college that he began to formulate his philosophy of church,
which he would later put into practice. It was also during this time that he
dated and married his wife, Kourtney, with whom he has 2 wonderful children,
Josiah and Audriana.
In 1997, Pastor Kline graduated from Northeast Baptist Bible College, with a
degree in Pastoral Theology. Not long after, he accepted the call to be the lay
youth pastor at Capital City Baptist Church in Salem, Oregon, under the
leadership of Pastor James Cunningham. Here he continued for two years, building
an active youth ministry to an average attendance of 40 teens on Sunday
mornings. It was a growing and exciting time but it wasn’t long before he felt
that it was time for him to leave this ministry and enter the ministry as the
senior pastor.
This is Pastor Kline’s first pastorate and the Lord is using him in wonderful
way in our church. It seems that Lord had been preparing him all his life for
just such a ministry and his people truly love him and respect him. He has
become a wonderful preacher and teacher and each service is enjoyable,
enlightening, and encouraging. We look forward to many good years in the future.
Some of Pastor’s hobbies are hunting, fishing, and sports. He enjoys college
basketball and football and is a loyal fan of our local teams. He also enjoys
playing basketball and golfing with friends. His life verse is Psalms 34:8 “O
taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
|
|
