As any soldier knows, you come to bond with and love those with whom you share risk and danger. David Anderson, Senior Pastor of Faith Baptist Church of Sarasota and Reverend Rob Schenck forged a bond as they battled for America’s unborn and the Gospel together.
Pastor Dave, who has been arrested some nine times, first met Rob Schenck in jail when both were locked up for physically blocking access to abortion clinics. Pastor’s Dave earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Liberty University and his doctorate from Bethany Theological Seminary.
He has been a pastor for more than 20 years, serving in Buffalo, New York for the eight years prior to coming to Faith Baptist in 1991. After serving nine years as the Associate Pastor, he assumed the position of Senior Pastor on January 1, 2000. He is one of the charter members of the National Clergy Council, enlisting when it was still a fledgling organization in Western New York.
“I joined this small group of men as the Lord was crystallizing their vision and strategy –which still guide us to this day,” Anderson recall. “With very little financial resources and no mega-church support, this group was still used by the Lord in a powerful way, reminding us all that the battle is the Lord’s.”
Pastor Dave not only shepherds Faith Baptist, he also serves on the Bio-ethics committee of Sarasota Memorial Hospital and speaks at countless influential venues. He is a determined worker boldly going where many Christian leaders fear to tread including the heavily mined political landscape. “I don’t shy away from political issues,” he explains. “If you’re going to preach the Bible it’s going to affect your culture.”
Pastor Dave and Faith Baptist’s support of Faith and Action, stem from their belief that the Christian Church is mandated to confront the culture in which it is planted with Biblical truth on every front. “One of the greatest experiences of our history has been supporting Paul and Rob’s ministry. We can literally affect national policy through them and getting behind them has enlarged our vision for what we can do to affect the rest of the world,” he says.
Pastor Dave realizes that he is also investing in Paul and Rob Schenck as human beings because their work is a product of their lives and values. “I have been in every kind of setting with these guys,” he says. “From sitting with U.S. Senators to Jail Keepers and they always conduct themselves with the greatest discretion. They are never an embarrassment to the gospel.”
Looking back, Pastor Dave says, “The last 20 years have been some of the most adventurous, exhilarating, challenging and faith-stretching years of my life. I thank God for Paul and Rob Schenck, the National Clergy Council, and the privilege to be a soldier in the fight for the soul of America.”
