John Rothra

Background

About John Rothra

My mission is to help people and churches know, show, and share the gospel of Jesus. These three tenets define my ministry online and in the pulpit. What do they mean? Put simply— : having a growing, personal relationship with Jesus : living out our faith in Jesus by serving others : proclaiming the good news about Jesus through evangelism I hold a PhD in Evangelism and authored 1. I’m also a huge Buffalo Bills fan. My wife, Olivia, and I have three children, one of whom is special needs. Born in Texas in 1974, I’m both a “military brat” and a “preacher’s kid”: my father is a retired US Air Force veteran and a pastor. As such, I was raised in various states and lived for five years in Germany. I gave my life to Christ in 1984 while living in Illinois. In 1993, during my first year of college, the idea of being in ministry first entered my mind, though I had other plans. At the age of 28, God called me to enter ministry, and I gladly surrendered to that call. I was licensed in 2002 and ordained in 2004 at Judson Community Baptist Church in Longview, Texas. I entered seminary at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2004, earning an MDivBL and my PhD. I began preaching in 2002 and accepted my first pastorate in 2004. I continued pastoring for ten years, serving churches in Texas and Florida. In 2014, God transitioned my ministry from the pastorate to other areas, including worship ministry, church marketing, and developing an online ministry. In 2015, I published 1, and the following year I was the featured speaker at the “Ignite Houston” evangelism conference. It was also during this time that Olivia and I learned that our son is special needs. As such, special needs ministry holds special place our hearts. Because of my experience in churches of various sizes—ranging from small rural churches to a megachurch—along with serving in different types of ministries, God gave me a unique appreciation for how ministries within a church interact and contribute to their church’s overall mission. Teaching/preaching, administration, encouragement Theology, discipleship, leadership development, vision casting Website: JohnRothra.com Text: 916-509-2459 Instagram.com/jrothra YouTube.com/jrothra Facebook.com/johnrothra