Sam is a pastor of formation and care at Mission Hills Church in north San Diego county. He and his wife Anjuli have four children, two boys and two girls and continue to live in Escondido, the town where they both were raised. Both he and his wife are graduates of Talbot School of Theology’s Institute for Spiritual Formation where they received training as spiritual directors.

Sam’s vocation as a pastor has been the place from which he continues to develop a spiritual theology and an integrative approach to the Christian life. As part of his calling as a pastor he has developed a number of curricula to train the church in the Christian life, ranging from a course for beginners in the faith to a course for those who have journeyed with Christ for many years. These training courses are designed to orient people in a life of prayer, the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of ourselves. They are also designed to root people in the rhythms of spiritual direction, retreat, and contemplation. These courses are the heart of his ministry to and in the church as he seeks to develop wise and compassionate laborers in the kingdom.

Sam also is one of the teaching pastors at Mission Hills Church and understands that part of his calling is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. His experience as a preacher has taught him the significance of the Scriptures as the “rule of faith and practice” and continues to seek to ground people in the depth of the wisdom of God’s Word.

In all of this Sam is deeply committed to the church as the primary location where spiritual formation and life in Christ are worked out “with fear and trembling.” His inclinations are to serve the local church in such a way that it “builds itself up in love.”