Meet the Staff

Pastor Stephen Miller

*My life before I came to Christ.

I was fortunate to have been raised in a Christian home. My dad was a trustee in our church and later became a deacon. When I was a young boy, my mom and dad took me to church every time the doors were open. We were there for every service, every special signing, and every revival service. I was baptized at the age of twelve. I learned how to pray, I took up the offering, I even learned to play the piano some and played in church a few times. I thought I was being good enough to get to Heaven. I wasn’t searching for God because I really thought I was alright. When I turned fourteen, I started hanging out with some guys who introduced me to alcohol. I still thought I was ok because I did everything else right. I went to church and I did what I was supposed to, for the most part. I had everyone believing I was a good kid.

*How I came to a cognitive knowledge of Who Jesus is and what He did for me. 

After highschool graduation, some friends and I went to party in Myrtle Beach. We took along quite a bit of alcohol on our trip. The first night, after drinking very heavily, one of my friends suggested we climb over the balcony to get to the room next to ours. The problem was, we were on the tenth floor of the hotel. When I climbed half-way out over the rail and looked down, God allowed me to see the flames of Hell for just a moment and He told me I was going to that place if I fell. I backed off the rail and I was sober instantly. It was at that point I understood I was not going to heaven on my good merit or for who my parents were. I was going to Hell because of my sinful state and because I had not accepted Jesus as my personal savior. 

*Circumstances surrounding my conversion. 

I didn’t get saved that night, but I understood what was happening and what I needed. I needed Jesus in my life. I knew the only true hope for me to get to Heaven was through God’s Son, Jesus, but I was still having a difficult time surrendering to God’s will. When we arrived home from the trip, I wholeheartedly started going to church, and stopped pretending to be a good Christian. I started paying closer attention to the messages and the Sundayschool lessons. On December 31, 1990 I finally made my way down the alter and I prayed during a mid-night watch service. I asked God to forgive me for my sins and my failures, and I asked Jesus to enter into my heart. On January 1, 1991, I rose from the altar a new creature in Christ. I realized that because of His death, burial, and Ressurection, I no longer had to worry about ever seeing those flames again. The fear of Hell was replaced with the joy that only Jesus can give. 

*My spiritual growth from the time I accepted Christ to today. 

A few months after I prayed to receive Christ, I started singing in a local quartet and I loved it. We traveled to different churches in the area singing in revivals and special song services. When we were not singing, we were studying the Scriptures and talking about the Lord. I learned so much during that time. The more I learned, the more excited I became. I wanted to tell the world what He did for me and that He could do the same for them. Three years after I got saved, I developed a strong desire to do a special work for the Lord; and after much prayer, I surrendered to God’s will and announced my calling to preach. I preached my first message on October 30th, 1994. I have now been preaching over thirty years and have had the priviledge to pastor five local churches. There have been some ups and downs and there have been a lot of bumps in the road, but I wouldn’t trade my salvation and the hope I now have for anything. 

*Today 

I have been married over thirty-two years to the love of my life, Crystal and we have two sons, Christian and Ian. I graduated with honors from Liberty University in 2018, where I majored in Religion, with a concentration in Christian Ministry and minored in Biblical Studies. I am a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, the Tau Sigma Honors Society, and the American Association of Christian Counselors. I am also a member of the Union Association of Free Will Baptists and I am proud to be the Pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church of Morrison City.