Pastor Josh Ritchie
Education: B.S. Student Ministry, Baptist Bible College
BiVocation: Finance Manager
Contact Information: pastorjosh@sovereignway.org
I am a great sinner with an even greater Savior! At a young age the Lord opened my eyes to the saving grace of Christ and I believed in The Way, The Truth and The Life. Since then I have been a devoted follower of Jesus Christ.
Immediately after my conversion I began to take the gospel to friends and family and served the Lord actively in the church all throughout my elementary, junior high and high school years. During my senior year in high school, I sensed that the Lord wanted me to be in ministry, so to much disappointment from family and friends, I abandoned my lifelong desire to be a heart surgeon in order to pursue a career in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ full-time. While my church family was extremely pleased with my decision, my friends and family began to turn on me—something I had not anticipated. Thus began my lessons in following Christ at any cost.
In 1996 I graduated from Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, with a bachelor of science in student ministry. Thereafter, I was blessed to work at a Christian summer camp in Running Springs, Ca, before I was hired at a church in Hesperia, Ca. I served at Grace Baptist Church for nearly five years before moving to Los Angeles to serve at Venice Baptist Church for a little over five years. In 2006 my wife and I moved back to the High Desert to plant a church in Victorville, Ca. I pastored Free Grace Church for nearly six years before we came to Sovereign Way Christian Church.
My wife and I met in youth group as teenagers, dated for four and a half years and have now been married since 1994. She is an extremely amazing, talented and supportive wife and I am certain that God has given her to me to help me become more godly. We have two children (one by adoption, the other by birth). She is a blessing from God and except for Christ, she is the greatest treasure that I have.
Currently I serve as a pastor/elder at Sovereign Way Christian Church and am employed at Victorville Motors as a finance manager. Aside from that, I enjoy Spider-man comics (#numberonesuperheroofalltime), traveling, playing instruments with frets and strings, and I love to make others laugh. I listen to music all the time, have a blast going to concerts and can’t get enough of hanging out with my church family. Playing some occasional Mario Kart never gets old and I consider off-roading in my Jeep Wrangler the adult version of Mario Kart. You should join me sometime!