Contact Us!

Address

703 E. Central Street

P.O. Box 215

Whitewater, KS 67154

Phone

316.799.2180

Hours

Meet the Pastor!

I feel most alive when I am teaching [when I was younger, it was chasing fly balls]. I enjoy teaching in almost any context, whether preaching from the stage, mentoring, coaching, counseling, or teaching in a classroom or small group. I love when someone gets excited about what they are learning, especially if they are learning something about God.

When I was fifty [and my wife, LeeAnn, was forty] God gave me a new context for teaching: a daughter! As I write this, Sofia is now almost four. She loves to learn new words, how numbers work, and about Jesus. She enjoys exploring new places and trying new things, art, music, puzzles, reading books together, watching videos, riding her balance bike, climbing, dancing, and playing with her cats.

LeeAnn has a BA in business and has worked mostly in software development. She has experience leading small groups of women and teenage girls, teaching children, and serving in a variety of church ministries. She enjoys reading, watching movies, being out in nature, and being a mommy. LeeAnn and I have been married almost eighteen years, not without trials, but with lasting joy at God's blessing of bringing us together.

As a younger man, I taught college economics and worked in commercial banking. Though I ended up focusing on teaching the Bible, I benefited from volunteering in many ministries of the church. That broad exposure to church ministry gave me valuable experience and training in evangelism, small group leadership, mentoring, ministry to children and teenagers, visitation, and spiritual leadership.

I earned an MA degree with part-time study at an extension campus of Dallas Theological Seminary. We later lived in Dallas for two years, so I could learn biblical Greek and Hebrew, and complete the degree called a Master of Theology [ThM]. We finished with a three-week tour in Israel. While in Dallas, I received ordination from Northwest Bible Church.

I believe teaching and leading are related. I teach God's revelation instead of human wisdom. I believe every decision we make as individuals and as a church organization should be based as much as possible on Scripture. I believe leaders should be honest and transparent, sensitive to the Holy Spirit's guidance, and working hard to meet the spiritual needs [not necessarily the desires] of the church.

Every church is unique, and I believe in adapting methods to the context of the church, but I encourage passionate worship, deep and applicable teaching, multiplying discipleship, small group fellowship, ongoing training for teachers and spiritual leaders, everyone getting involved in the ministry, cooperation with other like-minded groups and people, serving our town, and glorifying God with the way we do life together.

Since I have two graduate degrees [economics and theology], some might consider me an intellectual pastor, but I assure you I am still a normal fellow. Ok, I say "fellow" where you would say "guy," but I enjoy sports, cookouts, movies, mystery novels, pets, children, nature, and lots of other normal things. And my years in the South have led me to say things like "I reckon" or "y'all," which I think proves I never will be a true intellectual.

Our family presently has two cats. We would love to get a dog, a horse, and a camel [ok, LeeAnn is hesitant about the camel].

Pastor Will Groben