Ordained Pastor

Ordained Pastor

My name is Joseph Edward Legg. I am a pastor at Church on the Rock in Wasilla, Alaska, USA, and feel called to be an ordained pastor. I have been in multiple ministries over the last 20 years, including the local church and para-church organizations. The U.S.A. is definitely a mission field, especially here in Alaska. Ministry here is very relationship based and it’s easy to involve the entire family.

I grew up going to church but didn’t form a relationship with Jesus until my late teen years. I had been a church pianist/organist since age 12, and I had been basing a lot of Christianity on works and ability. When my father passed away after a long battle with cancer and heart disease, my world was changed and I began looking in different places for comfort. Another local church invited me to a concert, where I first began to know that Jesus loves me and desires a relationship. This began a change in my life to have a close relationship with Him.

I have five children; they and my wife Jennifer are very connected in my ministry. We try to include the entire family in as many things as we can ministry related. My wife and I have a passion for mentoring men and women. We love rural Alaska. Although we currently live and pastor at a larger church in a more developed area of Alaska, we would love to plant and pastor a church in more rural Alaska as an ordained pastor or even have a camp/retreat center.

This class has reminded me to take time in my walk with Jesus and to develop it to a point where it is reproducible to others. I am re-settling into Bible Study and reading for the relationship and not just results.

Most of my ministry experience has been in Music and Worship Ministry. I also spent about 4-5 years as a Guest Services Director at a Bible Camp in rural Alaska. This and my IT experience have given me a unique experience. I am currently a staff pastor in Worship, Guest Services, and some operations. I mostly relate to the position of Pastor.

I was married at age 22 to Mariah. She was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer soon after. She died when I was 24. At that point, I had been a high school band director. I moved 100 miles away to Arkansas and took a Music Pastor position at a small church. Once again, I was reminded of the brevity of life and I wanted to spend mine on something worthwhile like ministry.

Ministry in Alaska is unique in many ways. Here in the Valley, theft and drug abuse are rampant. We want to be able to help and minister to the lost and broken. Our church is considered to be a generous and safe place for people. However, we have to work hard to balance being that safe place while not enabling them or being an easy target for theft and drug deals. We also deal with very cold temperatures and large amounts of snow in the winter and beautiful weather and extended jobs during the summers. A large part of our population is “slopers” who are 2 weeks at home and 2 weeks at work thousands of miles away. We have developed an online streaming campus for them to stay connected while away.

One of my colleagues often says, “Everything rises and falls on your hermeneutics.” I had joined a small group of men that were going through Systematic Theology and Redemptive History together. Connecting with awesome mentors like that really showed me how important it is to be connected with God’s word during ministry. It changed how I connected with others in ministry and relationally.

I am currently a licensed pastor at my church. I have been encouraged to become an ordained pastor. After much research, our education staff recommended Christian Leaders Institue (CLI) as a path of ordination study.

Since I am older and have an extensive resume and education in music, a big challenge for getting more education has always been the financing. A scholarship at CLI makes my ordained pastor ministry calling achievable! Please be praying for wisdom to be able to balance my family, my ministry, and my education here at CLI over the next few years.

Learn about pastor ordination with Christian Leaders Alliance.