Meet Our Pastor

Our Pastor is Rev. Michael S. Bowen from Sumter, South Carolina. He was born on August 23, 1974. He graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1992 and went on to get a degree in ministry from North Greenville University in 1997. He is married to Jennifer Roberts Bowen of Beaufort, South Carolina and they have two beautiful children, Alley and Aaron. His favorite past time is bicycling, playing games and spending time with his family. He was saved and baptized on May 27, 1990 in his home church and was called to preach two years later. His greatest desire in life is to see lost people come to Jesus and he is an active soul winner. His favorite Gospel song is “Peace Speaker” and his favorite Gospel group is “The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir”. He began his ministry at East Lumberton Baptist Church on February 3, 2013.

In his 20+ years of ministry, he has been involved in several foreign and home mission trips and has preached revivals in numerous places. He has preached in prisons, nursing homes, homeless shelters, mental institutions and even on the street. In 2011, he had the privilege of leading the opening prayer for the Florida House of Representatives. He has served as the Evangelism Director for the Savannah River Baptist Association and the Northeast Florida Baptist Association, and has served on the Nominating Committee for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. He also served on an inter-city impact team for North Greenville University while he was attending school there, and also led public school bible studies such as First Priority and backyard Bible clubs.

Our pastor believes in a church ministry that involves preaching the Word of God with energy and compassion. He is a conservative Southern Baptist, who views God’s Word as being the inerrant, inspired, infallible Word of God. His style of preaching is expository, verse by verse preaching. He does not support the emerging church philosophy, or the five points of Calvinism. He believes in changing the method to reach people, but not changing the message. He also believes that discipleship and witness training should be conducted in the church.

He feels a great need to have a committed prayer life, and encourages others to do the same as well. He believes that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone, but a life committed to God should be the evidence of that decision. He also believes that baptism is a symbolic act of receiving Christ, and one must become a Christian before joining the local church. He’s a firm believer in evangelism, and is a strong soul-winner. Every home he goes in, he likes to share the Gospel and always gives an invitation after every sermon. He also believes in personal accountability, discipleship, and follow-up with contacts to keep new Christians involved. He believes that worshipping God involves the attitude of the heart, and not the style of the music.

He grew up in a non-Christian atmosphere. His parents got divorced when he was five years old, because his dad physically and emotionally abused his mother. His mother then got remarried to a compulsive gambler. The marriage fell apart many times, but the divorce actually took place when he was about 13 years old. As a result of this ungodly lifestyle, he was never encouraged to go to church by anyone except his grandmother, who is a Methodist. He attended her church on various occasions, but never became real active. One day, he took it upon himself to start attending a Southern Baptist church that was near his house, because a lot of his friends attended there. He became very involved in the youth group, but never really knew what it meant to be saved. At the age of 16, after attending the church for two years, he became convicted of his sin and decided to give his heart and life over to Jesus Christ, making Him his Lord and Savior. Since May 27, 1990, he became a changed man. God has taken him from the sewer pit, to the pulpit. He now experiences peace, joy and a true daily walk with God. God has done many wonderful things for him, and his life is devoted to Him. He has no life outside of Jesus Christ, for He is his life. God is his thoughts, his actions, and his goals. Since Christ died for him, he will live for Him. One goal of his is to not let a week pass without him sharing his faith with at least one person. Since he’s never had a father in his life, God has become the best friend and Father he has ever had.