John Sanders is the lead pastor at First Baptist Church Pine Castle. He and his wife Lisa have two amazing kids, Bryan (married to Anna–they love her like crazy too!) and Emma (a sophomore at Palm Beach Atlantic University). Both John and Lisa are central Florida natives.

John has been in ministry for a few decades, serving churches in Florida and North Carolina. He is an avid writer–the Florida Baptist Convention, Group Publishing, Simply Youth Ministry, and LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention have published his work.

When he isn’t writing, John loves to spend time talking with Bryan about his newest business ventures, singing along to Disney Channel movies with Emma, enjoying a date night with Lisa at one of Orlando’s amusement parks, or breaking/building something in the garage. Music plays a large role in his life – he is a hack guitar player and was in a U2 cover band in high school. Thankfully, no pictures have survived.

John earned a Master of Divinity degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Leavell College where he later taught undergraduate students in the disciplines of adolescent and adult education.

John’s favorite verse is one that is easy to memorize, yet challenging to practice – He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30). Not surprisingly, John the Baptist’s words ring just as true today as they did 2,000 years ago. In a culture where many people yearn for accolades and attention, we do well to give all honor and glory to the One who deserves it. John’s greatest desire is to do whatever it takes to help people find, follow, and serve Jesus.

You can reach Pastor John at [email protected].