Leader Profile: Pastor John Leeder

Pastor John Leeder in his crazier days before Jesus

For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but waters the earth, and make it brings forth the bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11

"This is my favorite verse because I know the power of the Word," John Leeder replied with passion in his eyes.

In light of this verse, John loves to see the results of the Word preached and hearts that are prepared by the Holy Spirit for service. To watch lives changed by the conviction of the Spirit, watch lives built up and edified by the encouragement that comes by the Word in the believer's lives.

He cannot stand false doctrine, it drives him, in his words, "Nuts, I can't even stand it when someone teaches the Bible out of context." Then he told me with absolute conviction, "I am driven by the truth, teaching, living and preaching the truth of God's Word. I have a deep and real love for God's Word."

His Testimony

John has walked with the Lord for about ten years, before that he could sing the song, "I Did It My Way." He was very emotional in his response to the world around him and quick to anger, which got him into a lot of trouble. Going back to his teenage years, he was always getting into trouble drinking, partying and fighting - a lifestyle that was destructive not only to him but hurt those around him, those that he loved most. He reaped the consequences of that life, which in the end left him with an empty void that nothing was able to fill.

About fifteen years ago his wife went forward at an altar call and accepted Christ. Her response to the Gospel was a deep hunger and thirst. She attending a Church and Bible study but when the Lord transformed John, her growth really took off, which as Pastor Leeder said, "Shows the importance of the male leadership role in the house."

A Loving Family

Pastor John and his family

His daughter was just born at the time of his conversion and his son was only five. He remembers a little about John's BC days, now he knows and remembers his Dad as a man who loves God with all his heart. His hope for the future of his son is that he grows to be a Godly man and leader. As John says, "My son is gifted and talented, and I want to see him use his creativity to the glory of God." His daughter is his little Angel, and he is grooming her to be a Godly wife, like her Mom, who is as John said with a huge smile that dimmed the sun, "She is truly a Proverbs 31 woman."

John's wife, Roxi, demonstrates an extraordinary gift of hospitality, often opening their house for ministry and fellowship. John shared that she also demonstrates the qualities of the Titus 2 woman, training up younger women on how to be Godly wives. She mentors and trains up younger women, single women who desire to be married someday.

John said with great excitement, "I got me a woman, I got me a good woman." She has been his greatest supporter, his cheerleader. He shared that she is his strength and great encourager, "she gives me the straight truth, with love."

The Call to Ministry

After just a few years of coming to Christ, John had a sense of God having called him to be a Pastor. "I felt He was calling me to be a Pastor. I didn't know when, where or how. That is something I never shared with anyone but my wife. She knew it. She recognized it." If God calls a man to do something, he will make it happen if we are faithful to that calling.

Pastor John is a regional Pastor here at the Rock, which means that he oversees, pastors and is shepherding the Western region of the Rock congregation, and developing leaders to shepherd the flock, and to provide leadership to the facilitators of the small groups of his region.

He also oversees a growing Men's Ministry and has an incredible group of fifteen men, who provide leadership and are continually reproducing themselves, making disciples in obedience to God's Word. They plan events throughout the year that give the men of the Rock an opportunity to fellowship, and grow in Christ.

In the first year of the Rock, Pastor John launched a prison ministry doing the teaching and preaching by himself. Over the course of time he developed a team of men who have taken ownership of that ministry and he is more hands off now. These men have taken it to another level, reaching and discipline men who are incarcerated.

Teaching Others and Making Disciples

Pastors John Leeder and Darren Carington

John loves to preach and teach the Word of God, he said, "I love it, and that is an area God has gifted me in." The Rock is such a large church and as we move into a bigger, permanent building John hopes to have the opportunity to break into the Word of Life and perhaps teach a weekly Bible study.

When asked about his favorite character of the Bible, other than Jesus, he immediately replied. "Paul! The apostle Paul is my favorite Biblical character, because he was driven by the truth. To pursue truth, to communicate, to stand on and fight for the truth, to suffer for the truth, yes, to die for the truth, Amen."

As John spoke to me, I was time and time again brought back to his passion for the truth, his passion for the Word of God. I saw a man of God who was uncompromising in his love for God and his desire to make and send disciples. John is a man I believe would go to the grave proclaiming the truth of God's word. I close with John's words:

"That is the commission Jesus gave us to do, 'Make Disciples!' That is the action word of that command, 'to make Disciples.' And I am about reproducing Disciples that will in turn reproduce Disciples."