Pastor Bates began his ministry at Bible Baptist Church on August 7, 2005. He and his wife, Stephanie, have three children: Charity, Megan, and Rachel.
Pastor’s Salvation Testimony...
Pastor Bates was saved at an early age. He states, "I placed my own personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in 1979. I remember a teacher of mine, Mrs. Ann MacLegan, opening her Bible on her desk while my other classmates were resting. She so clearly explained to me, what I had been taught so many times by my parents, Sunday School teachers, and others, how that Jesus Christ had died for my sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried and arose from the grave according to the Scriptures. I rememmber how she told me that if I were to believe on Jesus Christ alone that I could know that heaven is my future home and that Jesus Christ is my own Saviour. Oh, what good news that was to this little boy, then with the simple faith of a child, I bowed my head and acknowledged to the Lord Jesus Christ that I understood that I could not save myself, and that I agreed with the Scriptures about my sin. Then in that classroom I told the Lord Jesus that I would trust only in His work upon the cross for me and I asked Jesus Christ to save me. I never will forget that wonderful memory. It is one of my earliest memories as a child, and what a grand thing to remember." Soon after, he was scripturally baptized by immersion by his father, Dr. J. Michael Bates, the then Pastor at the Providence Baptist Church in Riverview, Florida.
Life Growing Up...
Pastor Bates grew up in Tampa, FL, in a independent Baptist pastor’s home, and attended all his gradeschool and highschool years at Providence Christian School. He grew and matured in his Christian life. During these formidable years of his life the Lord continued to work in his heart. In his later teen years through his college years the Lord burdened his heart through preaching for preaching and for pastoring the Lord's people. Upon his graduation from high school in 1993, he enrolled at Pensacola Christian College that same Fall. Pastor Bates graduated from Pensacola Christian College in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Youth Ministries.
Mrs. Bates’ Life & Testimony...
Mrs. Bates was raised in South Bend, Indiana. She also was saved at an early age and then scripturally immersed at the Community Baptist Church in South Bend, Indiana. Stephanie and Pastor met while they were both attending Pensacola Christian College, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in English Education in 1996. They were married on July 19, 1997 in South Bend, Indiana.
Pastor’s First Ministry...
Pastor Bates’ first ministry was in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1997 to 2002 he served as the youth pastor, teacher, and coach for the Bible Baptist Church. During those five years, Mrs. Bates taught high school English in the Christian School. In 2003, Pastor Bates was convinced the Lord wanted Him to pastor, but he also believed that the Lord wanted him to receive additional training in the Word prior to pastoring.
Further Ministry Training...
Pastor Bates followed the Lord’s leading to Emmanuel Baptist Theological Seminary (EBTS), a ministry of Emmanuel Baptist Church (EBC) in Newington, CT. In 2003 he received his Master of Biblical Studies degree from EBTS, but continued at EBTS another two years. Pastor says this of his time at EBC/EBTS, "I am so very thankful that there were faithful men who took serious the responsibility that local churches have to commit to faithful men those things that other faithful men have taught them. I will be always grateful for Dr. Thomas Strouse, Dr. J. Michael Bates, Dr. Aaron Strouse, and several others that invested in my theological training."
The Lord’s Leading...
After several visits and meetings, the Lord led us by a unanimous vote of the assembly to call Steve Bates to be our pastor in July of 2005. He accepted that call a week later and began his ministry here at BBC in August of 2005.