Mike Chandler

Elder & Senior Pastor

My faith journey:

I was born in Miami, Florida to my first-generation Cuban-American mother and my father, whose family’s Alabama roots are traceable back to Jamestown settlement, Virginia. I was raised in Osceola County, where I have lived most of my life. I trusted in Christ when I was 15 years old, while responding to a Sunday morning altar call at First Baptist Church of Kissimmee. I graduated from Osceola High School in 2004 and married Melanie Ames two years later. Since then, the Lord has blessed us with five children: Caleb, Cadence, Logan, Timmy, and Daisy. I am truly blessed to say I am married to my best friend. I first felt called to pastoral ministry during our honeymoon and later realized I was called specifically to a preaching ministry when I was 24. After finishing graduate school, I began serving in my first pastorate here in Saint Cloud, serving as Lead Pastor of Harmony Community Church for almost 4 years. I came to Celebration Community Church in 2017, where God facilitated the launch of a satellite campus in Saint Cloud. I was called as Campus Pastor of that campus in 2018 and later became the Senior Pastor when the campus transitioned to operating as an autonomous church—Grace Pointe Church—in 2022.

Education:

  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D), Applied Theology, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC, All But Dissertation
  • Doctor of Ministry (D.Min), Expository Preaching, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC, 2016
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA), Grace College and Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, IN, 2013
  • Master of Arts (MA) in Ministry, Grace College and Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, IN, 2012
  • Bachelor of Science (BS) in Information Technology, Capella University, Minneapolis, MN, 2010

My Publications:

My Other Works:

Books I recommend:

  • The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life by A. W. Tozer
  • A Praying Life by Paul Miller
  • The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter
  • The Supremacy of God in Preaching by John Piper
  • The Christ-Centered Exposition Series

I would also recommend reading on notable figures in church history, including:

  • Augustine in His Own Words by William Harmless
  • Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World Hardcover by Eric Metaxas
  • George Whitefield: God’s Anointed Servant in the Great Revival of the Eighteenth Century by Arnold A. Dallimore
  • Jonathan Edwards: A Life by George M. Marsden

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