IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 06, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After a nationwide search, Mariners Church announced Eric Geiger as its new senior pastor, effective today. Geiger will succeed Kenton Beshore, who will serve the Orange County-based non-denominational church as pastor emeritus. In this capacity, Beshore will continue to teach and mentor senior pastors. He will remain with Mariners until 2020.
“God has led us through a significant journey to find our next visionary senior pastor for Mariners Church, and we couldn’t be more excited to have Eric and his wife Kaye join the Mariners family,” said Keith Koeller, Mariners Church elder board chairman. “Eric’s high degree of leadership and heart for ministry perfectly aligns with Mariners’ vision and values and we are most thankful for God’s work in leading us to such a gifted and humble new leader.”
Geiger previously served as senior vice president of LifeWay Christian Resources, the world’s largest provider of Christian bibles, bible studies, research, church music, supplies, services and more. He was at LifeWay for seven years. He also served eight years as executive and teaching pastor of Christ Fellowship Miami, a multi-cultural church with seven campuses across the Miami-Dade County. Under his leadership, the church grew from 1,000 to nearly 8,000 people.
“I’ve fallen in love with Mariners Church and the powerful community Kenton and Laurie have built in Orange County,” said Geiger. “After seven great years of serving the church with the incredible team at LifeWay, Jesus made it clear He wants me back in the local church full-time. The pull has been fierce and specific to Orange County and Mariners, and I’m excited to be the next senior pastor of this great church.”
Together, Beshore and Geiger will teach the Joshua series in September. They will share teaching weekends through the remainder of the year. Geiger will work alongside Beshore as he integrates into the Mariners family and will be formally introduced to the church during its Sept. 8 and 9 services. The community also is invited to meet Geiger at the Mariners Family Welcome Home Event on Sept. 9 at 4 p.m.
Geiger earned a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Church Ministry and a Master of Arts in Christian Education from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He authored several books including “How to Ruin Your Life,” “Unfolded,” and “Identity” and co-authored the bestselling church leadership book, “Simple Church.”
Geiger resides in Irvine with his wife Kaye and two daughters, Eden and Evie.
About Mariners Church
Mariners Church is a network of disciple-making churches across Orange County inspiring people to follow Jesus and fearlessly change the world. For more information, visit www.marinerschurch.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.