Parkside Bible Church | Pastoral Candidates

Austin Forsythe - Lay Pastor

I grew up in a Christian home and was brought to church and taught the Gospel from birth. It's hard to pinpoint the exact moment I was "justified" because I do not remember a time in which I did not love the Lord and profess to be a Christian. As I grew up, I continued to confess faith in a repetitive cycle because I thought I wasn't serious about my previous profession. During my senior year of high school, I had a conversation about this cycle with my youth pastor, Big John Mlagan. I expressed a desire to know definitively that I was justified and a child of God. I prayed with Big John in that moment and told the Lord that regardless of my current standing with Him, I was drawing a line in the sand; from that point on, I would follow the Lord. I confessed my sin and broken state with my mouth and believed in my heart that Jesus was the Savior who had been sacrificed in my place, making me right before God through faith in Christ.

John Mlagan - Staff Pastor

I grew up understanding the gospel message from a young age. However, looking back now, I would not consider this understanding to be true saving faith, but only guilt over the consequences of my actions. There was no conviction of sin, no real understanding of the gospel. It wasn't until the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school that I realized that deep sin and selfishness had dominated my entire life. As I read the book of John, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to the love and grace of Jesus. I knew then that I wanted to surrender my life and follow Him. I repented of my sins and believed that Jesus was my Lord and Savior. At that time, I was still a young believer and didn't look for mentors or anyone to disciple me. I thought I had to figure everything out for myself and deal with my temptations in my own way. This pattern of belief and behavior continued until I was about twenty years old. Eddie Ferguson began to disciple me, and I began to grow in my knowledge of God and my desire to know Him more.