Our Lead Pastor

JEFF KLINGENBERG

I gave my heart to God when I was nine years old, but it wasn’t until ten years later that I experienced a significant encounter with the Lord that led to the complete surrender of my life to Him. I grew up in Illinois, in the town of Decatur. My parents loved the Lord, took me to church and taught me the things of God. I graduated from the University of Southern Illinois in Carbondale with a degree in Business Administration. Shortly following graduation, I made my way to Fort Worth, Texas to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In the spring of 1987, I completed my Masters Degree in Theology and have been ministering in churches in and around North Texas ever since. I have been serving as lead pastor at HighRidge since 2007. I married my wife, Dawn, in 1984, and we have five children and currently have six grandchildren.

HEART FOR HIGHRIDGE

My heart for HighRidge can be captured in one simple phrase, “strengthening people for life.” This phrase, though seemingly simple, holds deep meaning and purpose. At HighRidge, my hope is that everyone would be encouraged and become a passionate worshipper of God. However, it does not end there. We must be built up in order to build up others. My desire is for the motto of HighRidge to become a way of life for everyone. My prayer is that we would be a people who live to encourage, uplift and strengthen those around us. Through this, I believe God’s purposes will be fulfilled as we continue to reach those in and around our cities with the message of hope in Jesus Christ.