Steve Poe is the lead pastor of Northview Church in central Indiana. Under his leadership, the church has grown in attendance from 500 to over 11,000. Steve has spoken at major events such as the North American Christian Convention, Truth at Work Leadership Conference, Next Level Leadership Conference, Building God’s Way church growth conference, and chapel for Taylor University. In 2017 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Taylor University.
#1 Where did you grow up and how has that shaped your outlook on life and career?
“I grew up in a middle-class home in St. Joseph, Missouri. As a teenager, I became a Christian and then played drums in a Christian Rock band all through High School. At the time I felt God was calling me into full-time pastoral ministry, but I didn’t really want to be in ministry. I had a desire to be an entrepreneur. After graduation, I went into sales and then opened up several restaurants, a radio station, and a financial planning office. When I turned 30 I left the business world and went into full-time ministry. My sales and business experience greatly helped me to pastor and lead a church.”
#2 When did you first know that the life of ministry was for you? Was there a specific moment?
“I felt God called me into full-time ministry when I was 18 but then ran from it. After several experiences where I felt like God got my attention, I stopped running from God at the age of 30 and went into full-time ministry.”
#3 What inspired your recently published book? What has been the response to the book?
“I felt called to write all of my adult life but I just never felt like I had the time it would take. In 2019 I did a sermon series on Creatures of Habits. I had so many people express how helpful this series was in their life so I decided I needed to make it into a book. The response to the book has really been good, especially by pastors who have used it in their churches as a sermon series.”
#4 What has been the most interesting/exciting part of your journey with Northview and now being an author?
“I have been the senior pastor of Northview Church for 22 years. Pastoring the good people of Northview has been the greatest honor of my life. Seeing over a thousand people a year invite Christ into their life and inspiring and encouraging people to demonstrate bold faith has been exciting.”
#5 What is something people don’t know about you?
“I don’t think most people know that I am an introvert.”
#6 Who is an author/public figure you look up to and why?
“There are several authors that I look up to and admire. Max Lucado and Stephen Arterburn are two examples of men I admire for their ability to communicate through their writing.”
#7 Where do you see yourself in the future? What is your end goal?
“During this next chapter of my life, I want to speak in churches across the country and continue to write more books. I would also like to help our Brookside campus in the city continue to grow.”
This was a fantastic interview! I am looking forward to seeing you progress as you continue to become more well-known and continue to write. Thank you for answering these insightful questions, I hope people have learned something about you, and go check out your work.
Visit Pastor Poe’s Website here.
Purchase his new book from Amazon here.
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