Pastor Austin grew up at Bethel and joined the staff as Youth Pastor in August 2026. He leads the youth ministry for Grades 7 to 12: the Sunday morning class, Wednesday night youth group, and the activities in between. On Sundays you will also see him helping lead the singing and taking part in special music. He is married to Judy, and off the clock he keeps up with sports, plays whenever he can, and enjoys a board game with her and friends.
His own story starts at Bethel too. In March 2017, Evangelist Calvin Allen preached a revival service here — the message was “Living Without His Presence” — and Pastor Austin came under conviction. He had struggled with his faith for years before realizing he had been trying to walk with God without ever having come to Him, and that Christ alone could save him. He met with Calvin Allen later that night and received Christ as his Saviour. He graduated from the academy that June, and left for Bible college the following year. He earned a Bachelor of Religious Education with a focus in evangelism from West Coast Baptist College, and served on staff there for four years before coming home to Bethel.
What he loves most is watching teens make decisions that draw them closer to Jesus. A verse that means a lot to him is Mark 10:27, “with God all things are possible,” because he wants a front-row seat when God does the impossible. And if you are visiting for the first time, he would want you to know one thing above all: Bethel truly cares about you.
