Kevin Rees

PASTOR

Formally educated, Kevin received his undergraduate degree at Washington Bible College in Lanham, Maryland (Bachelor of Arts, double major in Bible and Missions, 1995). After getting married to Shellie, they lived in Greenville, SC while Shellie completed her Bachelor of Science from Furman University (Biology, 1996). Then they returned to Maryland for Kevin to continue his studies at Capital Bible Seminary. Between 1996-1998, as they welcomed their first child and expected their second, Kevin worked full time at a church while earning both a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies (1997) and a Master of Divinity degree (1998).

Ordained (1997) and commissioned, Kevin accepted his first senior pastorate (1999) in rural, central Ohio where his academic training took on practical application. Two more children were added to their young family. Kevin received extra training during this time and offered service as a volunteer hospice chaplain (2001-2003). Having guided his first church into the purchase of their first permanent building, Kevin and Shellie were called (2004), vetted, trained, and sent as church planters to central Italy, but not before adding their fifth child (2005). Finally arriving on the field in 2006, they learned the Italian language and culture and prepared to pioneer a new work in a town without any form of gospel witness. However, due to a family tragedy (2007), the Rees family decided to return to the States to resume local church ministry, this time in northwestern Arkansas (2008).

It was in Arkansas that Kevin truly began to pursue disciple-making as the focus of his ministerial activities. Then, surprisingly, foreign missions appeared again, but this time Kevin and Shellie were actively recruited by a predominantly medical mission team in Uganda that saw the need for establishing a rudimentary seminary for national pastors and church planters (2012). The whole family moved overseas again to serve in rural Uganda (2013-2014) during a window of opportunity before the Rees children started their own university years.

After Africa, Kevin took a step back from senior leadership deliberately to occupy the role of specialist (discipleship pastor, southeastern Washington State, 2016) in the belief that he might become a better leader by learning how to be a better follower. Toward that end, Kevin began doctoral studies at Gateway Seminary in Ontario, California (2019-present). Kevin anticipates defending his D.Min. dissertation (2022) on the accepted theme of enhancing local church ministry in a military context.