Derek and his wife Teresa are both natives of the Mountain Home area. They met in high school and were married in 1993. They have three kids. Derek surrendered to God’s call to ministry in 1994 and has pastored churches since then in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Missouri. He loves to share the message of salvation through Jesus Christ and to help people understand how to apply His Word to their lives through the systematic preaching and teaching of Scripture. Derek and Teresa have been on several mission trips in the United States, Central America, Eastern Europe, and East Asia and worked with church planting efforts with various cultures and people groups. They also enjoy doing marriage ministry together. Derek joined the TLBC staff in May, 2021. Spending time with family, traveling, hunting/fishing, boating, and horses include some of the recreational hobbies he enjoys. Derek received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forrest, North Carolina. One of his favorite scripture verses is Ecclesiastes 7:14