of View Baptist Church for two years as well as the area director for Young Life. Following graduation from Hardin Simmons, he went on staff at First Baptist Church Abilene, where he was Youth Minister for almost four years. In 1978, he returned to the Dallas area to begin his seminary education at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, where he earned his Master of Divinity degree. During this time, he served as Associate Pastor at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, before being called as the first pastor of Lake Pointe Baptist Church in 1980. Under his leadership, Lake Pointe has grown from an average attendance of 57 in 1980 to a current attendance of over 10,000 each weekend including children. The budget has grown from $125,000 a year to over $14 million a year.

Pastor Steve's spiritual gifts are evangelism, leadership, and teaching. He has a passion for seeing that the Gospel is presented to unchurched people in a culturally relevant style without compromising its truth. He also believes that one of the keys to an effective church is keeping a balance between evangelism and discipleship. Because of this belief, he has been a strong supporter of the small group ministry at Lake Pointe. Although he is a sought-after speaker and church consultant both nationally and throughout the world, his heart is for the local church, and he looks forward to many more years at Lake Pointe.