Paul spent 8 years in the trenches as a youth pastor building large youth ministries in New Orleans, Orlando, and San Diego.
"Christmas in October " Times-Picayune Oct 2005
Paul’s creative, edgy, culturally relevant style sustained by a message of grace, change, and vision for years brought Christian kids to the edge and resulted in bringing the unchurched of a post-Christian generation into the church in droves.
Paul gained the most noteriety shortly after launching the cutting edge student ministry – EPIC at University Carillon United Methodist Church in Oviedo/Orlando Florida.
"EPIC Hangout " Seminole Chronicle Newspaper Aug 2007
“I was recruited to Orlando primarily because my student ministry in New Orleans had grown through reaching the unchurched. When we arrived, a new facility was in the works, and we cast a strong vision of reaching the unreached to 40 kids” Paul recalls.
A year after a program relaunch , the student ministry grew to 1000% – 80% of those being previously unchurched teens. Overall thousands of teens walked through the doors of with nearly 300 giving their lives to Christ.
“In 40 years the world has changed, but youth ministry has stayed the same. The Church overall hasn’t responded, hasn’t changed, hasn’t awakened to the fact that only 4% of this generation are truly Christians. With EPIC, we stopped making excuses. We quit being arrogant. We got authentic, creative, and incarnate. We surrounded ourselves with people who dared to ask: ‘Well, what would it take?’ And we re-imagined youth ministry” Paul responded.
"...EPIC Task to Reach Youth " e-review FLUMC March 2007
Both Christian and secular media took notice leading to several magazine and newspaper articles and 2 TV reports including the Orlando FOX affiliate.
Paul replies:”Just so we’re clear: this is a God story. I used to go to conferences where out of touch superhero youth leaders who wrote books made this stuff look so easy. Youth ministry for me started when I was a Jr. High part-timer (which meant I worked 45 hours a week) and our first week we had 17 kids. And I guess I sucked so bad that only 12 came back the next week. My story? It’s story of struggle and the heart of a pastor formed through the wringer of pain. I feel, know, bleed like a youth pastor, and I know I always will.”
Paul now shares his passion by speaking to churches, youth groups, and youth workers on a full-time basis.
