Steve Peterson, D.Min.
1508 Salem Church Road
Irmo, South Carolina 29063
(803) 422-6748
anchored2jesus4ever@gmail.com
PERSONAL PROFILE
Birth Place: Dayton, Ohio
Married: My wife, Mechelle, and I have been married for almost 28 years. She
works in the public school system with special needs children. She also
teaches a children’s Sunday school class.
Children: Rebekah graduated from the University of South Carolina in December of
2008 with a B.A. in Early Childhood Education. Because of cutbacks in
South Carolina’s public school system, she is now contemplating finishing
a nursing degree that will require three semesters.
Rachael is a senior at Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina.
She is majoring in Elementary Education. She will begin working on her
Master’s Degree at Clemson University in August 2010.
Stephen has completed two years at Midlands Technical College. Among
other options, he is contemplating an Air Force career.
Conversion: I received Jesus, the Christ, as my personal Savior on December 24, 1978.
I have continued on my Christian pilgrimage with a sincere attitude of
total commitment and complete surrender to God’s will for my life.
Calling: On January 13, 1980, I responded in faith to God’s plan and purpose for
my life to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and disciple growing
Christians. I continue in my commitment to become the Pastor-Teacher
He desires me to be.
Pastoral Under my leadership the church I pastor will aspire to experience God in
Objective: worship; equip believers for successful ministry and living; evangelize the
unsaved; and have an effective ministry of encouragement that touches
the hurts and needs of God’s people.
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Education:
Seminary: Doctor of Ministry.. May, 1998
Luther Rice Seminary
3038 Evans Mill Road Lithonia, Georgia
Major: Church Ministry and Biblical Studies
Seminary: Master of Divinity [with Biblical Languages].. May, 1987
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
3939 Gentilly Blvd. New Orleans, Louisiana
Major: Biblical Studies
College: Bachelor of Arts.. March, 1984
Wright State University
Dayton, Ohio
Major: Psychology
Experience:
Service: While leading the following congregations, I have demonstrated the ability
to effectively communicate the life-changing principles of God’s Word
and equip growing Christians for successful ministry and living. I have
also conducted numerous weddings and funerals, and have logged many
hours of Pre-Marriage Enrichment Counseling. My messages are mostly
expository and delivered with passion and energy.
Dutch Fork Baptist Church Plainview Baptist Church
Irmo, South Carolina Pensacola, Florida
February, 1999 to Present July, 1993 to February, 1999
Piney Grove Baptist Church Leslie Baptist Church
Fortson, Georgia Leslie, Georgia
August, 1990 to July, 1993 April, 1988 to August 1990
Summary God called me to Dutch Fork Baptist Church, after she had experienced a
of Current horrendous split. The church had been devastated by the loss of half her
Pastorate: active membership. These included sixty students and every youth
Sunday school teacher. During the last ten years, God has used me to
(1) Reaffirm the central place of God and His Word in the life of the
Church; (2) Remove stumbling blocks that threatened reconciliation,
growth and progress; (3) Revive the faith of a struggling remnant; and (4)
Refocus the church’s vision on doing real ministry. During the last four
years, we have averaged fifteen baptisms. The twenty baptisms in 2007,
exceeded any previous year in the fifty year history of the church.
Spiritual God has equipped me with spiritual gifts which enable me to be an effec-
Gifts tive Pastor-Teacher. These have been affirmed through personal passion,
participation in ministry, and the confirming testimonies of others.
Among these gifts are: preaching [prophecy], teaching, discernment,
knowledge, wisdom, encouragement, evangelism, and administration.
PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY
My major priority in life is to follow God's leading through His Spirit and His Word. He is the
foundation upon which my personal life and ministry are established. I believe that Christian
homes are essential to the life of the Church. Therefore, I strive to maintain a Christ-centered
home. This also serves as a firm foundation from which I minister to the Body of Christ.
My ministry objectives are centered in the work of the local church, God's chosen instrument for
declaring the Gospel to the unsaved, and growing committed Christian disciples. I perceive the
overarching objective of the local church as consisting of: worship, prayer, discipleship, and
evangelism. [Acts 2.41-47]
Worship:
Everything in our Christian experience grows out of our worship of God. If we haven’t
learned to be worshipers, it doesn't really matter how well we do anything else. It’s only
as God’s people worship Him that they become empowered for successful ministry and
victorious living. When we truly worship God, our conscience is enlivened by the
holiness of God; our minds are fed with the truth of God; our imaginations are purged by
the beauty of God; our hearts are opened to the love of God; and our wills are devoted to
the purpose of God. Meaningful worship, exalting the Lord Jesus Christ in both praise
and proclamation, is essential if we are to maintain a spiritual intimacy with God and
proper relationships with our fellow-man.
Prayer:
The importance of prayer in the life of God’s Church, and in the individual lives of
Christians, is stressed in every book of the New Testament. Nothing lies outside the
reach of prayer except that which lies outside the Will of God. Prayer can do anything
that God can do! Through prayer we acknowledge our absolute dependence upon God
and place ourselves under His powerful influence.
Prayers of intercession are especially critical to maintaining a healthy church that can
make a positive impact for Jesus Christ in her communities and around the world. In my
current pastorate, I have developed and implemented an Intercessor’s Prayer Ministry.
Our Intercessory Prayer Ministry Team is confident that their prayers will: (1) Effect
positive changes in America, around the world, in the church where they worship, and in
the lives of people they know and love; (2) Encourage those who are struggling with life
issues that threaten to rob them of the joy and peace that God wants them to possess; (3)
Engage the urgent needs of people with God’s abundant and available resources; and (4)
Empower God’s Church to accomplish her ministry objectives.
Discipleship:
I believe every effort must be made to disciple Believers to be active in Christian service
and to live mature Christian lives [Eph 4.11-16]. In addition to my weekly preaching and
teaching ministry, I also teach other discipleship training classes designed to meet the
needs and interests of growing Christians. In addition to systematically teaching through
individual books of the Bible, I have written and taught interactive Bible studies for
small-groups, conducted outreach and evangelism training, and provided extensive
training in understanding and responding to Islam, Mormonism, and Jehovah’s
Witnesses. I have also taught Master-Life and facilitated Deacon Training Sessions. I
have a heart for equipping Christians for successful ministry and living. In my current
pastorate, I led in the development and implementation of a Growing Productive
Disciples ministry that increased the number of church members participating in God-
centered activities on Sunday by more than one hundred percent.
Evangelism:
Evangelism magnifies the importance of the nurturing ministries of worship, prayer, and
discipleship. The Church that does not exalt the Lord Jesus through worshipful praise
and the preaching of the Gospel, or that is not being influenced by God through prayer
and discipleship, is powerless to win the lost of her community. As Pastor, I take a
“hands on” approach to equipping and leading God's people to evangelize the unsaved.
My efforts to succeed are enhanced through meaningful times of personal prayer and
Bible study, effectively teaching God's Word, preaching to meet the needs of God's
people, and through living a life that reflects the loving character of Jesus.
Missions:
The Church that does not evangelize will fossilize! The supreme mission of the Church
is to evangelize the World [John 3.16]. When God loved, He loved the World. When the
Father gave His Son, He gave His Son for the World. When the Son died, He died for the
World. God’s vision is the World. A church is truly about God’s business when
supporting Missions Ministries is central to the life of the church. Of course, ministry
always begins at home! I firmly believe that every church member should be a
missionary; the church should be missional in her thinking; the communities around the
church should be a mission field; and every unsaved person should be our mission.
ENCOURAGING A MINISTERIAL STAFF TEAM
The Ministerial Staff of God’s Church must work together as a Team if His purposes are to be
achieved through a healthy and happy church. It’s true! Together Everyone does Accomplish
More! Although staff teams differ from church to church, my goal remains the same: to assist
and encourage each staff team member to achieve the ministry potential that God has placed
within him or her. Building meaningful relationships with, and among, individual staff team
members, outside of church, is essential for a well developed, cooperative, team approach to
doing effective ministry.
STATEMENT OF SUPPORT
I fully support the work of the association, state convention, and the Southern Baptist
Convention with its doctrinal stance as outlined in The Baptist Faith and Message. I also
wholeheartedly support the Cooperative Program. I believe the eliciting, combining, and
directing of our monies and energies through the Cooperative Program to be essential, if we are
to fulfill our mission of taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1. An Interview with Pastor Steve. These are my responses to some questions which most
Pastor Search Teams would like to ask.
2. Growing God’s Church with Grace. This is my personal strategy on growing a church.
3. Managing and Encouraging a Ministerial Staff Team. This describes my goals based
approach to doing ministry.
Copies Are Available Upon Request.
You can also hear a number of my recent messages and learn a little more about me, and my
interests, by checking out my personal website at: www.blessings2cherish.com. The website
introduces me more fully and demonstrates how central Jesus Christ is to my life. Additional
copies of audio sermons are also available upon request.
REFERENCES
Dr. Johnny Rumbough (803) 356-2543 Lucky McDade [Deacon, DFBC]
Lexington Baptist Association (803) 732-3934
255 Two Notch Road 1504 Beaver Dam Road
Lexington, SC 29073 Columbia, SC 29212
Jimmy Griffin [Deacon, Dutch Fork Baptist] Kent Rayfield [Member, DFBC]
(803) 319-3721 Office: (803) 808-3994; Home: 749-9545
119 Prosperity Court 132 Stockmoor Road
Prosperity, SC 29127 Columbia, SC 29212
Curtis Woodall [AA/Prison Ministry, DFBC] Doug Nellums [Deacon / Pensacola]
(803) 467-6464 (850) 474-3861
304 Cabin Drive 3013 Pine Forest Road
Irmo, SC 29063 Cantonment, FL 32533
Charles Reesman [Deacon / Pensacola] Debbie Godwin [Youth Worker / Pensacola]
(850) 478-9646 (850) 477-6148
8604 Vance Ave. 687 Deedra Ave
Pensacola, FL 32534 Pensacola, FL 32514