Phil Eastman III

By grace, I came to a saving faith in Christ at a very young age. When I was nine I was led by my father to confess Jesus as my Lord, King, and Savior. One of the first ministries that I was involved with was the music ministry at the church in which I was raised.

In 2007 I was given the opportunity to temporarily fill the Middle School Youth Director position at Bridgepoint Church in Boise, Idaho. This involved teaching twice per week for about nine months. Though God blessed my endeavors by providing growth both deep and wide during this time, he was yet to burden my heart with a love of preaching and a desire to do it. I continued on in music ministry and served in various capacities which included helping my now father-in-law plant a church in early 2009. In late 2011 my father-in-law became very sick and I filled the pulpit for four weeks during his recovery. I had thought many times, regarding music ministry, “I could do this for the rest of my life.” But as I preached and developed rapidly through those four weeks my conclusion was, “I must do this for the rest of my life.” I was given the privilege of preaching once per month for the following year.

This stirring in my heart, which was aligned with the circumstances in my life and confirmed by a plurality of wise council, led my wife, Emily, and I to Moody Bible Institute where I am currently pursuing a bachelors degree in Biblical Exposition with interdisciplinary courses in Pastoral Studies. I consider myself fortunate to have had preaching and ministry experience before beginning my education. I am able to approach my studies with a well constructed sense of my strengths and weaknesses as well as a moderate understanding of the demands of ministry.