Q: Tell us about your background and spiritual journey.
A: I was born and raised in Orange County. My parents immigrated from Punjab, India, which is on the northwest side. I grew up in a Sikh and Hindu household. About 20 years ago, I encountered Seventh-day Adventists who gave me Bible studies and answered many of my questions. I decided to become a Seventh-day Adventist.
From there, I had wonderful experiences. I was in the middle of attending a public college but wanted a Christian education. God led me to Amazing Facts College of Evangelism, which I attended. Seeking more schooling, I went to an Adventist college. I started working as a youth pastor in Arroyo Grande and then began traveling and doing evangelism. I pastored for about seven years, worked as a conference evangelist, and spent the last seven years in youth and young adult ministries.
In my spiritual journey, I want to say that I love Adventism. I love the big ideas of who God is and the relevant present truths found in Scripture. These truths are universal. When I was a young adult with questions about God, the answers I found in Adventism were satisfactory, addressing the philosophical, emotional, and intellectual aspects of who God is. It was during a time when I was searching for answers and didn’t know my purpose that God came into my life in a powerful way. I have a burden for people, not just those who are Christian but those outside Christianity as well. That’s a little about my background and my family—I love them, and they’re still in Orange County.
Q: What is your overarching vision for the ministry department as you begin your leadership?
A: One thing that’s really important to me is collaboration among directors, ministries, churches, laity, and pastors. I’d love to see a greater relationship between the conference and the laity, pastors, and churches. I want to contribute to enhancing that relationship. I’d like to see our ministries strengthened and supported more than they have been in the past, and for our directors to have a greater understanding of what’s needed at the ground level.
I think in terms of collaboration, information, and discussion. Participation and dialogue are vital so we all understand the goals God has for us because God speaks to us through us—not just one person. We want to have discussions about ideas, and I believe in having more people at the table. By facilitating discussions between laity, pastors, and directors, we can better understand what God’s goals are for us and collectively try to achieve those targets. My dream for the ministry department is not my success but the success of all those in leadership positions. That’s what I want to see; I find success and joy in that.
Q: How do you plan to enhance programs for children, Pathfinders, youth, and young adults under your leadership?
A: I may be a little controversial when I say this, but I believe children’s ministry, Pathfinder ministry, camp ministry, youth ministry, and young adult ministry should be the most important ministries of the church. Statistics show that when you invest in these ministries, there’s a compounding effect on all other ministries. Research from Fuller Theological Seminary (such as the “Growing Young” and “Sticky Faith” studies) supports this.
It’s not that these should be the only age groups emphasized, but when there’s greater emphasis and contribution to these ministries, there’s a positive impact on all our ministries. My personal philosophy is that we need to invest more in youth, young adults, and children’s ministries. These should never be ministries that suffer. I want to see these ministries supported and strengthened, and see greater collaboration. I’d like to see stronger teams developed within these ministries. In this process, I want to see healthy organizations which consist of communication, participation, process, and support. That’s my philosophy: healthy organization at every level.
Q: How can members from the local field or organization get involved and support your vision and the future of your ministry?
A: Support can take several forms—from volunteering to being in leadership positions to being part of teams and mentoring young leaders. No conference leader or pastor can be part of the solution alone; it’s got to be everybody. We need to open the door so more laity is involved in leadership decisions and the volunteer process. These are things I’m passionate about.
I want to see our lay members involved in this whole process because, at the end of the day, no director, pastor, or conference leader can do the work alone. It’s going to take everybody, and I’d like to see that grow.
Statistics show that high rates of burnout occur among pastors who serve multiple churches. Research recommends increasing volunteer education, training, and retention. I think that’s an emphasis our leadership, pastors, and conference leaders should take seriously. How do we empower volunteers? By empowering volunteers, we’ll open the door for more volunteers, more laity, and more people to be involved in this whole process.
I think there should be a recommendation that every department has a team—a group of skilled people who come to decisions together—not just one person. That way one person isn’t carrying the weight alone, which can lead to burnout when trying to juggle so many things. There’s not enough funding in the world that can take the place of volunteers.
Q: Do you have any final words you’d like to share?
A: One of my passions is to see more prayers for the Holy Spirit. I want to see more “latter rain” prayer groups happening at multiple churches. Hopefully, we have a prayer ministry leader we can work with who shares this belief. Without these prayer groups—people praying specifically for the Holy Spirit in our churches—nothing we do is going to get us far. We’ll keep doing what we’ve always been doing. I truly believe, and I’ve seen in my own ministry, that when there’s much prayer, there’s much power. To effect change, it’s going to happen when we have latter rain prayer groups taking place everywhere in our conference.
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