Tri-City Baptist Church Staff

Dr. Michael D. Sproul - Senior Pastor (Read more...)

Pastor Mike Sproul was born to evangelist Dave Sproul and his wife Kay on August 10, 1963. At the age of three, Pastor Mike prayed with his parents and was saved. He attended Tri-City Christian Academy where he met his wife, Elma. After two years at Bob Jones University, Pastor Mike transferred to International Baptist College where he received his B.A. in Pastoral Studies. He received his M.Div from Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary in Lansdale, PA and later earned his D.Min from IBC.

Pastor Mike spent time in evangelism before becoming a chaplain and pastoring churches on two different Air Force Bases‚Sacramento, CA and Guam. In 1996 he became Pastor Jim Singleton's co-pastor at Tri-City Baptist Church, and three years later he became the senior pastor. In addition to pastoring at Tri-City, he is also the senior chaplain of the 161st ARW (Air Refueling Wing) at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, AZ. Pastor Mike and Elma have two children: Dave who is at the Air Force Academy and Sara who is studying nursing at Arizona State University.

Fun Facts about Pastor Mike

• Favorite part of your job: People.
• Hardest part of your job: Saying "no."
• What would you title your autobiography and why: "Helping People Know Their God"—because that is the calling of a pastor.
• Dream car: 1967 Red Mustang convertible.
• Favorite Bible verse and why: Isaiah 61:1—It is a prophecy of Christ, but it is my life verse and calling of my life.
• Favorite Bible character and why: David‚He was very transparent with his relationship with his God!
• Favorite way to relax: Reading online or reading books.
• A favorite book: "Team of Rivals."
• Someone from history you would like to meet and why: George Washington‚his character and ability to withstand setbacks.
• Favorite part of the country: The West‚I love the Big Sky and the independent-minded people.

Todd Tjepkema - Executive Assistant, Men's Ministry (Read more...)

Pastor Todd Tjepkema was born on August 8, 1962. At the age of ten, he was saved at a summer camp in the Cascade Mountains of Washington.

After his basic education, he went to drafting school and then went to work for Motorola where he met Barbara, who would become his wife. Eventually, he started his own business with a friend.

Along the way, he heard about the Certificate in Biblical Studies program at International Baptist College (IBC). During his first class at IBC, Pastor Todd felt called into ministry. It took nearly twelve years for him to finish his schooling (along with work and parenting), but he finally received an A.A. and B.A. in Bible from IBC.

Pastor Todd has been doing counseling since 1998. He is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors and a certified Reconciler from Peacemaker Ministries. He has also received counseling training from the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors and the Biblical Counseling Foundation. In 2002, Pastor Mike Sproul asked him to join Tri-City Baptist Church's pastoral team as the counseling pastor. In 2005, he became Pastor Mike's Executive Assistant. Pastor Todd also teaches Family and Marriage and Advanced Discipleship at IBC. He and Barbara have four children: Geoffrey, Timothy, Emily, and Robert.

Fun Facts about Pastor Todd

• Favorite fun book: Anything by Jeff Shaara (historical fiction).
• Favorite serious book: Heaven by Randy Alcorn (historical fiction).
• What would you title your autobiography and why: "Thou My Best Thought" because I have learned that the most important thing in life is to think about God.
• Favorite game/toy as a child: My pocket knife.
• Something unique about yourself that not many people know: My grandfather's sister is married to James Hudson Taylor IV, and they have been missionaries to the Far East all their lives.
• Favorite part of your job: Getting paid to learn more about God.
• Hardest part of your job: When people will not trust in God's Word.
• Favorite Bible verse and why: 1 Thess. 4:11, "to lead a quiet life...and work with your own hands".
• Favorite Bible story and why: Noah and the Ark— he spent a lifetime building a boat.
• Favorite subject in school: Math, science, and drafting.

David Stertzbach - Music Pastor (Read more...)

Pastor David Stertzbach was born on September 28, 1972 and was saved at the age of five. He attended Rockford Baptist School in Rockford, Illinois, then Trinity Baptist School in Williston, Vermont. He received a B.A. in Church Music with a Voice Proficiency and an M.A. Church Music with a Conducting Proficiency from Bob Jones University. Pastor Stertzbach spent eleven years ministering at Trinity Baptist Church and School in Williston before coming in 2005 to Tri-City Baptist Church where he displays a passion to pastor God's people through music. He also teaches music at Tri-City Christian Academy and International Baptist College and is the director of the Chandler School of Fine Arts. Dave and his wife, Becky, have two children: Laura and Davy.

Fun Facts about Pastor Dave

• Favorite game/toy as a child: A tape recorder.
• Something unique about yourself that not many people know: I'm an introvert.
• Favorite part of your job: Teaching and pastoring
• Hardest part of your job: Administration.
• Favorite Bible character and why: Nehemiah cracks me up. He literally "cleaned house"! Every time I read how he moved people's stuff out onto the street and "plucked their ears" I laugh out loud. I wish I had his decisive nature and courage.
• Why you named your child: Davy is "David Allen Stertzbach III".
• Favorite way to relax: Any type of live show: plays, musicals, concerts, and all levels of performance--professional, "off-Broadway", community....
• Least favorite subject in school: I am terrible at math and all its relatives.
• Favorite movie: Chariots of Fire.

Landry Homsher - Youth Pastor (Read more...)

Landry Homsher was born on January 22 in South Fork, Colorado. He was saved at an early age and attended Emmanuel Christian Academy in South Fork. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Ministry from Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, Florida.

Landry served as an evangelist for Neighborhood Bible Time and interned at the Campus Church in Pensacola. In December of 2004, he began serving as the interim pastor at First Baptist Church in Springfield, Colorado, then as youth pastor until 2007. In 2008, Landry and his family came to Tri-City and began working with the youth, taking the position of youth pastor in June 2011.

Fun Facts about Pastor Landry

• Favorite fun book: Always by My Side by Jim Nantz.
• Favorite serious book: A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards.
• Favorite game/toy as a child: My Daisy BB gun.
• Favorite part of your job: The teens.
• Hardest part of your job: The teens.
• Favorite Bible verse and why: Phil. 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."
• Favorite Bible character and why: David – he was human yet a man after God's own heart.
• Favorite book of the Bible and why: Colossians – it is shows the normal Christian life.
• Favorite Bible story and why: The ten lepers being cleansed by Jesus because the one that came back to praise and thank Christ was a stranger.
• Dream car: 1969 Corvette Stingray.
• How you met your spouse: In nursery (when we were newborns)…what a great place to meet your wife!
• Why you named your child: Shiloh means "gift of God." My wife and I weren't supposed to have children so God gave us a special gift. Karis means "grace." God was then gracious to us in allowing us to have another child.
• Favorite subject in school: Handbells
• Least favorite subject in school: Geometry
• Dream vacation spot and why: New Zealand because the scenery is just breathtaking (at least it is in the pictures).
• Someone from history you would like to meet and why: George W. Bush because I would like to ask him about what really happened that the media didn’t say or twisted and to ask about what got him through all that.
• A Bible character you would like to meet and why: Paul, because of his depth of ministry.

Bryan Miller - Children's Pastor (Read more...)

Pastor Miller was born in Canton, Ohio, but considers Chandler, Arizona to be his home town. He distinctly remembers accepting the Lord as his Savior at age 6: “I was on the top bunk of my bunk bed, wearing Mickey Mouse pajamas. I had just spent a week at a day camp in Ohio called Camp Chof. A message from camp held onto my heart and I knew I needed to ask Jesus to be my Savior. So, right there in my bed I prayed and asked the Lord to save me from my sins." This experience undoubtedly influenced Bryan's later decision to work in children's ministry. He received a B.A. in Pastoral Studies from International Baptist College and became Children's Pastor at Tri-City in 1996, though he had already been serving in their children's ministry for ten years.

Fun Facts about Pastor Bryan

• Favorite fun book: Ender's Game.
• Favorite food: Real BBQ
• Something unique about yourself that not many people know: I was a drum major in a DCI drum and bugle corps.
• Favorite part of your job: Talking to kids about their salvation.
• Favorite subject in school: Math.
• Favorite Bible character and why: Elijah was a great man of faith, but we also get a glimpse of his failures and frailties..
• Dream vacation spot and why: Alaskan cruise - beauty of God's creation.
• Favorite part of the country: Adam.
• How you met your spouse: Tri-City Youth Group..
• A Bible character you would like to meet and why: Adam - to see and talk to God's prototype for humanity--the first human creation.

James Yuen - College Pastor

Jim Sproul - Senior Adults Pastor

Denise Glenn - Ladies' Ministry

Tim and Sue Kufrin - Nursery Directors

Paula Mostrom - Awana Director

Walter Baines - Business Administrator (Read more...)

Though Walt was born in California, he calls Wentzville, Missouri, his home town. Walt was saved while in the Air Force. When a Sunday School class discussion came to the conclusion that the existence of God did not matter, Walt went to a church that his coworker had invited him to many times. After several weeks, he realized that works do not provide salvation and accepted Christ as his Savior.

Walter received a degree in Business Administration with a minor in Economics from Northeast Missouri State. He got his teacher certification at Bob Jones University and went on to the University of West Florida where he obtained his M.B.A. For 37 years he served as a business manager in various Christian organizations including Pensacola Christian School and College, Accelerated Christian Education, and Pillsbury Baptist Bible College, before becoming Tri-City’s business manager in 1999.

Fun Facts about Walt

• How you met your spouse: I met Pam at Tripoli Bible Church, a house church in Tripoli, Libya, when King Idris, the first and last Libyan king, was reigning. I was in the U.S. Air Force, and she was a British secretary working for an American Oil Company.
• Why you named your children: We wanted to be Biblical, and we selected potential names well in advance! Our desire was to pick names that demonstrated good character. We came up with Sarah Elizabeth and Ruth Naomi.
• A significant historical event lived through: While stationed at Wheelus Field in Tripoli, Libya, the Six Day War broke out. We vacated our planes, and the route appeared to the locals as if they were headed to Israel, and within an hour it was announced that American planes had destroyed Arab positions. Local feeling ran high. It was quite a sight to see the Libyan tanks coming down the road towards the base and taking up positions around the base to protect the base from the locals. We moved all military families to the base and shipped them back to the U.S. I can still remember vividly truck loads of Arabs going off with great fervor to fight the Israelis, armed only with shepherd staves. I smuggled my wife-to-be onto the base and requested permission for her to stay, but didn’t get approval until after the crisis and she had gone back to live and work in Tripoli.
• Dream vacation spot and why: We had the opportunity to spend a few days in New Zealand, and we’d love the opportunity to go back and tour both the South and the North islands. It is a beautiful country, and very pastoral—sheep everywhere. And they speak English!
• Favorite movie: Hot Millions starring Peter Ustinov & Maggie Smith. This is a comedy about a likable convict and his wife who helps him go clean in the end.

TBC Ministries Staff

Debbie Good - Time for Tots Preschool, Director

Pastor Thad Todd - Tri-City Christian Academy, Principal

Pastor David Brock - International Baptist College, President

Dr. Jerry Tetreau - International Baptist College, Chancellor

Pastor Larry Ball - International Baptist Missions, General Director

Dr. Dave Sproul - International Baptist Missions, Senior Consultant