NAME: Charles Joseph Specht III
BORN: September 15, 1974 in Joliet, Illinois
SALVATION: October-ish, 1996
CURRENT CITY: Brentwood, Tennessee
FAMILY:
- I’ve been married to Kathy since 1999 and we have five wonderful children (Camden, Brady, Amelia, Charlotte, and Luke).
- Our two youngest — Charlotte & Luke — are adopted from China and through genetic testing we’ve learned they are full biological siblings.
PRISON MINISTRY:
- Starting in 1998, I began *formal* ministry as a Volunteer Chaplain at the Castaic Correctional Facility in Castaic, California.
- Served as a religious volunteer in many jails around California, finishing prison ministry in 2011 at the North Jail in Fresno, California.
- I also served as Secretary of the Board for The Prodigal’s House, a 501(c)(3) ministry which helped released inmates transition back into society and get involved in a local church.
- During this time of *prison ministry* I also ministered and preached at various Rescue Missions around central California.
CHURCH PLANTING:
- In 1999, I co-planted Faith Bible Church in Merced, California, which is still in existence today. I shared preaching responsibilities at that church until 2006 when we moved to Fresno, California.
PASTORAL MINISTRY:
- Since July 23, 2023 I’ve been serving as the Senior Pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
- Prior to that, from October 16, 2022 to May 10, 2023 I served as a “revitalization” Pastor at Valley View Baptist Church in east Nashville, Tennessee.
- From August 1, 2019 to May 15, 2021 I served as the Pastor of Adult Ministries & Education at Campus Bible Church in Fresno, California (a multi-site church with over 1,400 people each Sunday).
- From December 2011 to January 2018 I was the Senior Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Strathmore, California, a church with both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking congregations.
- In 2010, I was called into pastoral ministry, accepting an Associate Pastor position with Madera Baptist Church in Madera, California.
MISCELLANEOUS:
- I graduated from Carthage College (Kenosha, Wisconsin) with a B.A. in Psychology.
- Shortly thereafter, I moved away from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin to the sunny beaches of Los Angeles, California in order to attend seminary at The Master’s Seminary.
- I’m a published author, believe the Green Bay Packers are the greatest team to ever play football, am an expert Chinese food eater, and I prefer vanilla-flavored iced coffee over hot coffee—seven days of the week.
SOCAL MEDIA:
EMAIL:
As a Pastor, Expository Preacher, and Collaborative Leader, I’m committed to equipping Christians in the local church to:
- Discern, Embrace, and Exercise their Spiritual Gifts
- Pray, Prepare, and Launch into Ministry
- Live, Love, and Multiply through Great Commission Discipleship