Joshua Starkey

I trusted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour at the age of 17. At that time, I surrendered my life to the Lord and sensed His calling to serve Him in full-time ministry. As I grew in my walk with Christ, the Lord placed a burden on my heart about the lack of Bible-believing, Bible-preaching church.

Before preparing for ministry, I spent two years in the workforce, where the Lord taught me valuable lessons about diligence, faithfulness, and serving others. I then enrolled in Bible college, where I spent four years studying God's Word and preparing for the work He had called me to do.

After graduating from Bible college, I had the joy of marrying my wonderful wife, Rachel. The Lord has greatly blessed our family, and about a year and a half later He entrusted us with our son, Samuel. Rachel has been a faithful partner in ministry, and together we are grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord and raise our family in His service.

Following Bible college, I had the privilege of serving for four years as an intern at my home church under the faithful leadership of Pastor Mark O'Donnell. Those years were instrumental in shaping my philosophy of ministry and giving me practical experience in shepherding people, serving the local church, and preaching the Word of God.

It was during my time serving under Pastor O'Donnell that the Lord opened the door to plant a church in Youngstown, Ohio. Through much prayer and the encouragement of my pastor and church family, it became evident that God was leading us to take the Gospel to this community and establish a church that would faithfully preach His Word, reach people with the Gospel, and help believers grow in their walk with Christ.

It is my desire to lead this church with a heart for people, a love for the Scriptures, and a commitment to glorifying God in all that we do. We believe the hope of Youngstown is not found in programs or personalities, but in the life-changing power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We would be honored to have you visit and see what God is doing as we seek to glorify Him and make Christ known.