Steve is a natural leader, from serving as a youth pastor in his college years, to joining the U.S. Army and rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel, to serving for a decade in both the Oklahoma State Senate and in the U.S. House of Representatives after returning to civilian life. Prior to serving as JAARS president, Steve served as executive pastor at First Southern Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. There he provided counsel to the lead pastor, oversaw the staff of the 1,250-member church, and implemented churchwide ministries.
Steve’s faith journey began when he became a Christ-follower at age 13. He believes that sensing the call to preach in high school and the call to military service are aspects of his faith journey that give him a strong, personal understanding of the power of Scripture in one’s own language. Steve and his wife, Cindy, have been married since 1985 and have five adult children, three of whom are siblings they adopted from a Hungarian orphanage.
