David is a native to southern California growing up in San Diego and attending college in Orange County. Prior to Vintage, Dave served as Pastor/Elder at Reality Church San Francisco and Westside Church in Bend, Oregon.

He has been married to Noelle since graduating college and they have three daughters.

Dave is passionate about discipleship and spiritual formation and loves shepherding the church toward “life to the full” in Jesus.

Q&R with David

What was the first single or album you bought?
Young MC “Stone Cold Rhymin’”

What is your favorite leisure activity?
Reading by the water

What is your favorite food?
Mexican - Fish Tacos

What book are you reading right now?
Fiction – As It Is In Heaven, Niall Williams

Non-Fiction – Leading with a Limp, Dan Allender

Theology – Making Sense of God, Tim Keller

What was your first job?
Installing Fly Repellent Systems in Horse Stables

What do you love about America
Hamburgers and Rock N Roll

What would people be surprised to know about you?
I hung out with Eddie Veder (singer of Pearl Jam) for a night

If there was one thing you would want people to know and believe about God, what would it be?
His love is infinitely greater than we can imagine and has the ability to transform every story.

What would you want anyone exploring faith to know?
It’s such a great adventure. Keep exploring!

If you weren’t a Pastor, what would you do for a living?
Teaching & Coaching Sports

What made you choose a life in ministry?
Well, I would say God chose me. While I can look back and see that God made me a pastor from the beginning (even when I was working in business or education), I never planned on working in ministry. Life in ministry was definitely a calling, one I came to through a lot of prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit’s direction.

What is your team’s biggest strength?
Everyone on our team has a sense of purpose about our work that is really inspiring. We all share a sense that God is on the move in LA and we get to be a part of it.

What’s your favorite character from the bible and why?
Jesus. I’ve studied Jesus my entire life and I can honestly say that several days a week I am still fascinated, shocked, and/or humbled by Jesus.

Name a Christian book you’d recommend (apart from the bible)?
Fiction - A Horse and His Boy, CS Lewis (part of the Chronicles of Narnia)

Theology - Surprised by Hope, NT Wright

Are there any key moments in your faith journey you’d like to share?
While I would say that I’ve been following Jesus nearly my entire life, a big shift happened when I encountered Jesus in prayer in my late 20’s. Until then I had loads of knowledge about Jesus, but in that prayer time Jesus met me, spoke to me, and it was as if I saw the world in full color for the first time.

That experience has changed my whole perspective on being a disciple of Jesus and making other disciples. Our minds will only get us part of the way home. Our hearts have to be set free too. I believe that following Jesus is a journey of expanding our spirit to hold more and more of God’s love, both for others and ourselves.

Do you have a favorite scripture, or one you return to often?
Galatians 2:20 - “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”