Pastor Will’s Testimony

Pastor Will’s Story

I was raised in a Christian home in Brooklyn, New York, as the youngest of seven children. My mother taught us the ways of God and helped us understand from an early age that salvation is found through Jesus Christ alone.

We attended a small Hispanic church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Even as a child, I sensed God’s hand on my life. At eleven years old, while attending a youth camp, I recognized my need for the redemption that only Jesus could provide. I surrendered my heart and life to Him.Not long afterward, several ministry leaders prayed over me and affirmed that God was calling me to become a pastor. I was excited, but at that young age, I did not fully understand what that calling would require.

Throughout my teenage years, I was actively involved in our youth ministry, sang in the choir, and participated in outreach throughout our neighborhood. Our youth pastor, Carlos Largaespada, discipled me during those formative years. He helped develop within me a love for Scripture and a desire for a deeper relationship with God. At fourteen, another minister prayed over me and reaffirmed God’s call upon my life. He did not know me, but he called me by name and spoke directly to me about the pastoral calling God had already placed on my life. It became another meaningful confirmation that God knew me and had a purpose for my life.

Running From God

During high school, I continued to grow spiritually, but over time I began to stray. By nineteen, I was allowing the world to influence my choices, and deep inside, I was running from the calling God had placed upon my life. For four years, I experienced the hurt, pain, and consequences that came from following my own way.

Proverbs 14:12 says: “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”

Eventually, I came to the end of myself. I felt spiritually bankrupt and wondered whether I had wandered too far for God’s grace to reach me. But although I thought God might be finished with me, He was not. His love, grace, and calling remained. At twenty three years old, guided by the Holy Spirit and carried by the faithful prayers of my mother and siblings, I finally came home. Like the prodigal son, I realized what I had left behind and returned to the Father.

I took a step of faith and moved to Florida. There, God met me with His inexhaustible grace. As I repented and trusted the gospel again, He restored my relationship with Him. At that point, I had no expectation of entering ministry. I was simply grateful to belong to Jesus again. Like the prodigal son, I would have been content just to serve in my Father’s house. I did not believe God could still use me for the purpose He had revealed years earlier. But Romans 11:29 reminds us that “God’s gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable.” God’s purpose for my life had not changed.

A Calling Renewed

In 2000, I connected with a church in Sunrise, Florida, and began serving wherever I was needed. As I served, my relationship with God grew deeper. In 2003, I participated in a short term mission trip to Venezuela. God used that experience as a turning point in my life. I saw Him move powerfully as people responded to the gospel and placed their faith in Jesus. I also discovered that God was not finished with me.

After returning home, I opened my Bible to Isaiah 61:1 and 2. The passage speaks prophetically about Jesus and His mission to proclaim good news, heal the brokenhearted, and announce freedom to those in captivity. Through those words, the Holy Spirit renewed God’s call in my heart to proclaim the good news of Jesus to others.

The grace that had rescued and restored me became the message I wanted to share with the world. God had given me another opportunity, and I did not want to waste it. I spoke with my pastor and began a season of preparation, discipleship, and ministry:

• From 2003 to 2005, I completed a two year Bible institute program at Covenant Life Church.

• From 2005 to 2006, I served as youth pastor at Solera Community Church.

• From 2006 to 2010, I served as youth pastor and elder at Calvary Chapel Coral Springs.

• From 2011 to 2017, I served as an ordained associate pastor at Calvary Chapel Coral Springs.

During this season, I earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Trinity International University. My wife, Kristan, earned her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Trinity and became a licensed mental health counselor in Florida.

God also allowed me to establish a Christian sober home in 2012 and a Christian treatment center in Lake Worth in 2014. These ministries gave me the opportunity to serve people experiencing addiction, brokenness, and the need for restoration. Both operated successfully until the end of 2017, when I transitioned out to pursue God’s pastoral calling more fully.

The Beginning of Proclaim Church

God used every season to prepare Kristan and me for what was ahead. After moving to Boynton Beach in 2015, we began sensing that He was calling us to start something new in the community where we lived. We were established at Calvary Chapel Coral Springs, and there was a plan for me to eventually step into the role of senior pastor. Leaving that security was not an easy decision. However, as we prayed, God continually brought us back to Isaiah 43:18 and 19: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!”

We became convinced that God was calling us to plant a church in Boynton Beach. After sharing this with our pastor and elders, they prayed with us and affirmed the calling. In January 2018, Calvary Chapel Coral Springs sent us out to begin this new chapter. During that season, we connected with Redemption Church in Delray Beach and completed a church planting residency while earning a Master of Arts in Ministry degree, with a concentration in Church Planting from Capital Seminary/Lancaster Bible College and That journey ultimately led to the birth of Proclaim Church.

Today, I have the privilege of serving as lead pastor of Proclaim Church alongside my wife, Kristan. Our desire is to build a community where faith, hope, and love are restored through the good news of Jesus Christ. My story is a testimony to the pursuing grace of God. I ran, but He pursued me. I wandered, but He welcomed me home. I believed my failure had disqualified me, but His grace restored me. The same Jesus who redeemed my story continues to redeem the stories of others. That is the message we are called to proclaim.