Email [email protected]
Born and raised in Colombia, South America, Juan David comes from a family involved in Christian ministry since the early 1970’s. He came to faith in Jesus the Messiah at the age of six, followed Jesus’ command of baptism while visiting Israel at the age of eight, and surrendered to God’s call to full-time ministry when he was seventeen during a time of personal revival. Juan David holds a Master of Divinity and a PhD in Systematic Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His dissertation focused on Messianic Jewish Christology and Ecclesiology.
During his time of ministry, he has had the exciting opportunity to serve and live in five different countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, the United States, and Israel. He has served as a church planter, pastor, music minister, missionary, and as the Coordinator of the Maestria en Estudios Teológicos (Master of Theological Studies, Spanish track) at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. In this position, he ministered through theological instruction to students in the U.S., Latin America, and Europe.
From a young age, Juan David learned from his father both the value of missions and the importance of evangelism among Jewish people in the Holy Land. He has developed and continued his family’s calling, sense of identity in line with his Sephardic ancestry, and a passion in this area of ministry, while allowing it to permeate even to his theological education and areas of academic concentration.
He is married to his wife, Sarah, who loves the LORD and graciously supports him with her prayers and encouragement in the ministry. Juan David has two daughters and two sons, whom he has dedicated for the glory and service of God. Juan David, Sarah, and their children live in Falls Church.
Where were you born?
Manizales, Colombia.
Hobbies
Doing absolutely anything with my kids and wife, reading, drinking coffee, eating Colombian arepas, playing soccer with my kids, playing tennis when possible, watching European soccer (Serie A, La Liga de España, Premier League), watching the Colombian Soccer national team at any given opportunity, chatting with my wife about anything and everything after the kids turn in at night.
Favorite Food
Middle eastern and Asian
Favorite Book
Non-theological: One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
Theological: The God of Israel and Christian Theology (R. Kendall Soulen)
Favorite Authors
Craig Blaising, Darrel Bock, N. T. Wright, Michael L. Brown, and R. Kendall Soulen
Favorite Flavor of Ice Cream
A scoop each of Cookies and Cream and Strawberry
Funniest and/or fondest childhood memory
There are too many. But maybe it would be when I was eight years old, and my mom got distracted for a moment causing her to miss taking a picture of my dad baptizing me in the Jordan River. She asked me to go back into the river and ask my dad to dunk me again just for the picture. When I went back in the river and asked my dad (who was now baptizing others) if he could baptize me again for a quick picture, he replied, “No. What is done is done. You’ve already been baptized.” I have a picture in my office of my dad in the river in his baptismal robe (where I am conspicuously absent) to remind me of this very special event.
Favorite Scripture Verse, passages, or book of the Bible
Romans 9-11
If I had a different job, I would be . . .
A lawyer
Nobody knows that I still . . .
Mmm… let’s keep it at the “nobody knows” stage 😉
If I could ask God one question it would be . . .
Would you please tell me, LORD, when is Yeshua (Jesus) coming back?
