ABOUT
Short bio
I was born in Los Angeles but grew up on the East Coast in Clearwater, FL where I met my wife, Jessica. We have two children, Cali and Liam. Jessica has served as a full-time missionary in Sarajevo, Bosnia. She helped to create a large student ministry at the University of Miami while she was an undergrad student. She has also served as a Staff member in church offices, directed Marriage Ministries, led Women’s Bible Studies, spoken to large gatherings in conference and worship settings, and served in Children’s Ministries over the years. Jessica has completed graduate courses in Biblical Counseling. In her business professional life, my wife has worked as an HRG for two Fortune 500 companies. She is currently working as an HR Business Partner for a pharmaceutical company based in Northern California.
I have 25 years of ministry experience, serving outside several major cities across North America (Tampa, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Sacramento, and Phoenix). I am an ordained Pastor in the Presbyterian tradition where I have led weekly worship for congregations that had upwards of four worship services with as large as 1200 people in weekly worship. I have also served in solo pastor settings with congregations between 75-150 people. My most recent ministry role was from 2018-2021. I served as the Senior Pastor/Head of Staff at Christ Presbyterian Church located in the West Valley of Phoenix, AZ. In November of 2021 I stepped down from that pastoral call to relocate our family back to Northern California for my wife’s job advancement. Our move gave me the opportunity to complete my PhD studies at the University of Aberdeen, to serve as Pulpit Supply for churches in the North Central California Presbytery, and to research and write for peer-review publications. I submitted my PhD thesis in April 2022, and successfully defended the thesis in August, 2022 receiving the title of “Dr.” Over the years I have chaired national theology committees and served on several Presbytery committees that include ministerial care committees and finance committees. I am an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the North Central California Presbytery (PCUSA).
In addition to my life in ministry, I recently finished a PhD in Disability Theology at the University of Aberdeen where I successfully defended my thesis in August, 2022 receiving the title “Dr.” I worked under Professor John Swinton who was my doctoral Advisor. I have a Doctor of Ministry terminal degree from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI where I worked under Professor Chuck DeGroat as my Advisor. I successfully defended my DMin thesis in July, 2017 and received the title “Dr.” In addition to these two doctoral degrees, I have an Masters of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in the area of Urban Missiology and Church Planting. Finally, I have a BA from Clearwater Christian College in Pastoral Studies. I have presented theological papers in North America at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA; Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI; and Azusa Pacific University, CA. I also have presented theological papers in the U.K. and EU at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland; Westminster College, Cambridge, England; the University of St. Andrews, Scotland; Durham University, England, and at the European Academy of Religion (to see my CV you can visit my Academia.edu page by clicking here). I regularly publish original theological research articles and book reviews in peer-review journals in America and the U.K.
“Pastor Tony's compassion for the churched, unchurched, and those on the margins of society shines through in the way he preaches, teaches, and conducts himself. In his preaching, Pastor Tony combines an energetic presence with sound theology, resonating with multigenerational and multicultural audiences.”
— PhD Candidate, Brandin Francabandera, University of Aberdeen
