Pastor Paul Cunningham Bio

After a 3 month sabbatical in 2007, during which he was introduced to monastic life, Paul discovered his true passion in life.  “I love to feed people”, he says, “both physically and spiritually!”  The chef at the monastery he visited in Santa Barbara had a gift for preparing fresh, simple, but elegant meals…and Paul caught the bug!  He caught a similar bug for feeding people spiritually during his graduate work under Dr. Howard Hendricks at Dallas Theological Seminary.  “Prof. Hendricks inspired me to teach God’s Word with passion, and that it is a sin to bore people with the Bible!”, he says.  So whether he’s preparing a braised veal shank or a sermon from Leviticus, he feels compelled to make it satisfying to those he is feeding!  That wasn’t always the case, however.

Paul grew up as a Pastor’s son in Orange County, where a hunger for self-worth and authenticity drove him.  He observed pretentious snobs hiding behind their “stuff” outside the church, and smug Christians hiding behind nice haircuts and self-righteous attitudes inside the church.  He developed a love-hate relationship with the church.  His innocence was also marred at age 12 by an abusive relationship which began a long struggle with worthlessness.  Baseball became the way he would find self-worth.  He played at Liberty University and Fullerton College, then onto Azusa Pacific University for 2 years.  Success went to his head when he was named an All-American his junior year, but it never reached his heart.  The question “Am I worthwhile?” lingered in the back of his mind, until it was forced to the surface after a shoulder injury and reconstructive surgery ended his dream of playing beyond college.  With a B.A. in English and a love for baseball, it seemed logical to pursue a career in teaching and coaching.  However, a different dream started to grow inside him…a dream to be a part of a church where authenticity was a driving value, and people felt safe. He invites you to join him in the Journey.

• Married:  ecstatically to Kim for the past 25 years
• Children:  Will, Luke and Henry…all in college…fb status: single
• Educated:  8 years beyond his intelligence (B.A. English, Azusa Pacific University (’87).  Master of Theology, Dallas Theological Seminary (’95).
• Last golf score:  92…but he blames it on the weather
• Loves:  sushi (especially the belly fat) and early morning walks with Kim
• Best dish:  arguably his stuffed chicken with a roasted pepper sauce, but maybe his street tacos with black bean and corn relish

You can contact Pastor Paul by e-mail by clicking here.