Through his personal relationship with God, knowledge of God’s Word, and experience in church ministries from an early age, Jonathan Hoppe begin to feel called to pastoral ministry.
Early Days
Jonathan grew up in Wisconsin and Minnesota, where he was raised in a Christian home active in their local Bible-believing church. Jonathan trusted Christ as Savior at an early age. As Jonathan grew, he learned more about God and the Bible. By age twelve, Jonathan was helping teach Sunday school and participating in special music for church periodically. During high school, Jonathan completed Awana’s Citation Award requirements, worked as an Awana-leader-in-training, and played violin and piano in church. These experiences helped lead Jonathan toward ministry.
College to Pastoral Ministry
When Jonathan graduated from high school, he knew that he wanted to become either a missionary, a pastor, or a teacher. The fall semester after graduating from high school, Jonathan joined a three-month mission trip to Romania. That winter, Jonathan applied and was accepted to the history education program at Pensacola Christian College (PCC), where Jonathan would spend the next four years preparing for Christian ministry. During this time, Jonathan met and befriended Jackie, who he would later correspond with, date, and marry. Jackie’s desire in common with Jonathan to serve the Lord in ministry further inspired Jonathan to pursue attending seminary to train for pastoral ministry. Jonathan married Jackie in 2011. That same year, Jonathan returned to Pensacola to attend Pensacola Theological Seminary, where he earned his Master of Divinity degree in 2014. In 2014, Jonathan and Jackie moved to Maryland, where Jonathan began teaching in a Christian school in Glen Burnie. After preaching as an applicant and candidate for the pastoral office at Bible Church of Lake Shore in the summer of 2016, Jonathan was unanimously voted in as pastor on August 14, 2016.
Current Ministries
Pastor Hoppe also works as a fourth grade teacher for a local Christian school. Since coming to the church in 2016, Pastor Hoppe has seen God bless in allowing the church to successfully start the Awana and visitation program in 2016, Sunday school classes for all ages and men’s prayer breakfasts in 2017, and a new website and soul winners’ club in 2018. Several souls have trusted Christ, several have been baptized, and several new members have joined the church since 2016. Despite some of the older members passing or moving away since 2016, God is continuing to grow the ministry of Bible Church of Lake Shore. Pastor Hoppe looks forward to what God will continue to do in the years to come here at Bible Church of Lake Shore. Perhaps Jonathan and Jackie’s most important ministry role is raising their three children, Julia, Jael, and Samuel. In all of this, Jonathan much appreciates the hard work and support of his wife Jackie and many other faithful members of the Bible Church of Lake Shore. Pastor Hoppe enjoys the wise counsel and assistance he finds in his spiritually seasoned board of deacons, Jim Timmons and Dan Twigg. Jonathan also contiues to gain inpiration from his father who is an Awana missionary in northern Minnesota. Above all is God, who will build His church (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:47). Bible Church of Lake Shore belongs to Jesus Christ and serves Him as His stewards of His ministry.