From TMS to Faith Bible Church

Faith Bible Church was praying for a faithful pastor.
Justin was praying to become one.

A Church's Need

There are churches praying for a faithful pastor who is trained to preach.

The members of Faith Bible Church in Naples, Florida were such a church. As they gathered each Sunday morning, they prayed earnestly for a shepherd.

For several years, a Christian professor faithfully filled the pulpit. Families came and went. Despite Naples being one of the fastest growing cities in America, the church plateaued and longed for theological and numerical growth.

Eventually, the small body stabilized. They focused on the gospel and meaningful membership. They even started supporting a few missionaries, but the professor retired. They needed someone to preach the Word and feed the flock. 

"The elders spent much time praying for and evaluating the church's condition. They saw several areas of deficiency such as membership, eldership, and discipleship while confirming strong biblical teaching. It was the elder's desire to find a senior pastor whose strengths aligned with these areas." —Phil, Associate Pastor of Faith Bible Church

A Pastor's Need

A few years earlier, Justin Harris was serving as a pastor in Greenville, North Carolina. He had been told that being a pastor was the best way to serve a church. But he did so without having gone to seminary. Now he was preaching every week, and he knew his sermons weren’t feeding his congregation.

Gradually, Justin realized that he needed to be trained to be a pastor. Despite his church’s warning that “Seminary is a cemetery,” Justin enrolled in a local seminary.

While at seminary, God grew Justin’s desire to be a biblically qualified pastor, and his ministry goals began to change. Instead of wanting emotional responses, he hopes for hearts of worship, focused on God.

Then in 2010, at a conference in Kentucky, he heard an expository sermon. The speaker was John MacArthur. He was stunned by how different it was from what he had been doing—this preaching made an impact on his soul.

“No one in my local church or Bible college was preaching expositionally. I had read about it in my textbooks, but no one trained me in how to do it. The first time I heard expository preaching, I thought to myself, “That’s what I want to do….”  

Following the sermon, Justin went straight to The Master’s Seminary enrollment table.

“I really felt like I needed to be at The Master’s Seminary. They get the Bible right. If you get the Bible right, you get everything right.”

But Los Angeles was on the other side of the country. The move alone was costly—not to mention the cost of living.

Justin talked to a fellow pastor about the financial difficulty of moving to Los Angeles to pursue seminary. On the spot, Justin’s friend committed to funding his transition to The Master’s Seminary. 

“He made some calls and his church supported me and my family in the first stages of our move. So we did it. We moved across the country with two kids and just $2,000 in the bank.”

After the Harris family had settled in Los Angeles for a year, his wife lost her job. Justin’s income alone wasn’t enough to cover their expenses.

“I thought, ‘This is it.’ My parents were prepped and ready for us to come home. I talked to our Dean, Dr. Busenitz, to tell him I was leaving. Dr. B. presented me with a different solution. From that conversation, a donor’s gift covered the rest of my tuition and some cost of living. I didn’t just have it. I didn’t have the funds to get it done. God provided.”

An Answer to Prayer

In May 2014, Justin graduated from The Master’s Seminary.

In early 2015, Faith Bible Church was in need of a pastor. They prayed and continued the search.

Later that year, a mutual connection put Faith Bible Church in touch with Justin. He started the interview process, and it was a match. Faith Bible Church was looking for a pastor who would care for their congregation and preach the Word, and Justin was looking for a place to put his seminary training into practice.

“As a member of the pastoral search committee, I am still amazed by the way God orchestrated the details of bringing Justin Harris to Faith Bible Church. He answered all our questions during the interview process…. His responses were Christ-centered, biblical, and doctrinally sound. Justin’s passion for ministry was genuine and heartfelt. Upon hearing Justin’s sermon, it was obvious to all that this man has the gift to preach God’s Word and truly has a pastor’s heart.” 
—Mike, member of Faith Bible Church

“Justin’s wealth of biblical knowledge, leadership, and energy have been a spark in my personal walk with Christ. His hunger for the Word of God has been contagious. He has come alongside my family during personal difficulty and has motivated me toward further Christlikeness with sincere concern for my spiritual well-being. Our conversations, prayers, and service together have been a joy over the past two years.” —Phil, Associate Pastor of Faith Bible Church

Within a year, Faith Bible Church more than doubled their membership, from fifty people to 135. New visitors frequently stop by as they drive past on the street. Justin preaches every Sunday, and he faithfully exposits the Word.

There are churches like Faith Bible Church who are still praying for a faithful pastor. There are church leaders like Justin who are still praying for the means to preach Christ faithfully. To see those pulpits filled with faithful men like Justin is the heartbeat of The Master's Seminary.