Who is Richard Sipes?

I am a believer in Jesus Christ. I serve as pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church in Grand Junction, CO. Ours is a small church (about 45 in Sunday School, 55 in worship most Sundays). We are a Christ-honoring, Bible-teaching, people-loving church. New Covenant Baptist Church cooperates with the SBC as a Southern Baptist Church.

I grew up actively attending church (United Methodist) but was not saved until I was an adult. As a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy I heard and believed the gospel message at the Baptist Student Union (BSU). By the grace of God through Jesus Christ I was born again in May, 1982. I then followed the Lord in baptism and joined a Southern Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, CO.

My wife, Kathy, and I met at BSU and were married in 1984 after my graduation from the Academy. She has been my partner in life and in ministry ever since. We are both deeply devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ and to His church. From 1984 to 1990 we served the Lord at Mission Hills Baptist Church in Lompoc CA while I was an officer in the USAF. In 1987, God called Kathy and I into vocational Christian service. God has given me the calling and the passion to serve as a pastor in His church. I served bivocationally as associate pastor at Missions Hills until 1990 when I separated from the military.

We went to Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City from 1990-93 where I received a valuable education (MDIV) and gained ministerial experience. While still at seminary, Calvary Southern Baptist Church in Gardner, Kansas called me to be their pastor. The Lord has allowed me to serve Him using the spiritual gifts of preaching, teaching, encouraging, and administration. I enjoyed loving and leading this wonderful family of believers for 18 years. While we were there the Lord brought many to salvation in Jesus Christ and many believers grew in faith and in service to the Lord.

Kathy and I have three children: Heather, 24; Becca, 22; and Ricky 15. both our daughters still live in Kansas, Ricky lives here with us. Oh, we also have a dog, ChiCHi--half-Chihuahua, half-Dachshund, does that make him a chi-weiner dog?

Since coming to New Covenant in Grand Junction I already have begun to see how God is working among His people and how He can work through us to reach people in the Grand Valley with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. Our church is a great family of believers who care about each other and about those who need to know Jesus.

I love the local church and am strongly committed to working through the church to win the lost to Jesus Christ and to disciple believers. I am committed to preaching and teaching the Holy Scriptures as the inspired Word of God and to living out its principles daily. My favorite preaching style is verse-by-verse exposition with practical application for daily living. I believe that the pastor's ministry is to equip the members of the Body of Christ to serve one another in the church and to reach their community and world with the Gospel. I am committed to the Southern Baptist cooperative program and giving to support missions and participating in mission work locally and around the world.

The Lord has called me to love Him by loving His people and feeding His flock. My primary goal in life is to know God through His Son Jesus Christ and to glorify and serve the Lord with all my heart.

That is just the beginning of my story. God is writing the rest as I daily walk with Him.