Mike Willis
God is wonderfully good and it's a delight to know Him and be
growing-up in Him. I grew-up in Raleigh where my story of faith began in my
home where mom prayed with me at night, dad took me to men’s conferences at
church, and my sister and I went to youth group and on mission trips. Christian
camp counselors and youth leaders preached Jesus with their words and their
lives. They really lived their real faith in Jesus Christ. I trusted Christ for
salvation as a boy.
Like suddenly being declared a husband or a dad and then growing into that title, God declared me Christian by my faith in Christ and now I am growing-up into being a Christian. It requires effort, there is no autopilot, and I get hard-hearted like unstirred concrete if I don’t stay in God’s Word, marveling at grace and being equipped to live out my faith.
I live and labor that Jesus would be known, worshipped, and served in Raleigh and the world. God didn’t save us for some status-quo faith, but for sincerely following Jesus as we lift our eyes to Him, the author and perfecter of our faith (Colossians 3:1-4; Hebrews 12:2). “That you may grow up into your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2).
My wife, Vanessa, is full-of-life, a fervent Christian, a great mom and a daily inspiration. We met at NC State. We’ve served Jesus overseas in Jordan and Kenya. We have two kids, Maddie and Luke.
I did my undergraduate studies in Communication at NC State. Between my Sophomore and Junior years, I spent a summer in Spain studying abroad and it was there that I first understood God’s calling on me to be a Senior Pastor. After college, I received a Masters of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. During seminary, I was privileged to start and lead a college ministry in Dallas.
Nearing the end of seminary, a godly man from Harvest Bible Fellowship with Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicagoland called me and asked me about being a church planter. Long story short, Vanessa and I moved there for eight months for dynamic hands-on training at Harvest under the leadership of some giants of the faith. It was through this process that the LORD led us back to Raleigh to plant Harvest Bible Chapel North Raleigh, the 40th Harvest Bible Chapel.
“For your joy and progress in the faith.” Philippians 1:21
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