Grandview Baptist Church Welcomes Pastor Jordan Barker

“We wholeheartedly love this community and are constantly looking for opportunities to serve whenever we can,” said Jordan Barker, the pastor for outreach and discipleship at Grandview Baptist Church. Originally from Bakersfield and the son of a preacher, Pastor Barker and his wife of nearly six years, Kristen, and their two children, 4-and-a-half-year-old Brett and 16-month-old Piper, now call Grand Terrace and the “church on the hill” their home. “I love the community here in Grand Terrace and my wife and I both are honored to have the opportunity to serve and minister,” said Barker. Barker has over nine years experience working various ministries in the local church and the community. While most of his ministry has been in the local church, working as a junior high and youth pastor, working two pastor internships, working as a supply preacher for the Kern County Southern Baptist Association and being on the launch team of a “parachute drop” church plant, Barker has also served the community as a manager of a non-profit organization in the Bakersfield area. Barker is quite busy; alongside his role as a pastor at Grandview Baptist, he also works in admissions at Cal Baptist University. Both he and his wife attend Cal Baptist, studying theological training and pastoral development. He’s got a year left before he begins his doctoral studies, he explained, but he’s “getting ahead of the game” and planning out his thesis now. He will be looking at soteriology, the study of religious doctrines of salvation, Barker said, with the argument that all who receive salvation will be received into the body of Christ. “I’m looking at the idea that when you’re saved, you’re saved into the body of Christ, and what that looks like for us. We’re saved collectively, everyone in the past and everyone in the future, into this big church, if you will,” said Barker. He grew up as a preacher’s son, but he was 13 when he truly found his calling. “I remember surrendering my life to Christ,” he recalled. “I felt this overwhelming sense of loneliness and hopelessness, and that was the first time I remember feeling the emptiness of what life would be like without Christ.” Barker spoke to his father, who encouraged him to pray. Barker received his answer: surrender his life to God. That began the journey that has led him here today. In his late teens Barker worked as a youth pastor with his father. Their age difference meant sometimes they weren’t “on the same page,” Barker explained, but, he said, “If I knew half of what I thought I knew… I definitely learned and overcame young pride.” Though young, Barker has helped others facing troubles find their way to God, even helping some of them become pastors themselves. At Grandview Baptist, Barker said his goal is to be an extension of the church, lead by example and train and equip the community with the tools they need to reach others and bring them the word of God. “I want to be another person in the body of Christ, using my talents to respond to the call God has given me. I want to teach others to reach out, invite their neighbors to their tables and be hospitable – to gather them the way God gathered us,” Barker said. “As Christians, our job is to transform our community and we have an obligation to be useful for God, to be his disciples.” He closed, “Grandview Baptist Church is a loving, diverse community of believers who are here to proclaim the gospel, serve others and disciple believers. My family and I look forward to worshiping together with our church and cannot wait to meet the new people who come every Sunday. We hope to see you soon, as well.” Sunday school begins at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday in the church’s fellowship hall. Main services begin at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary. Grandview Baptist Church is located at 22755 Vista Grande Way in Grand Terrace.