Scottsdale Worship Center

Chris Harper
Lead Pastor

What hobbies do you enjoy doing? Tennis (especially with Pastor Lenny), my morning jogs, walking by my wood shop in the garage anticipating spending time working on projects Ministry and/or Passion? I have a couple passions that wake me up in the morning and keep me going throughout the day. First, I’m passionate about beginning my day by having a conversation with Jesus before anyone or anything else (i.e. iPAD). I try to keep that conversation going…some days are better than others. I’m passionate about my family the Lord has given me; spending time with Jennifer and the boys, making memories, experiencing new things, and laughing over our favorite movie lines that we think of when out and about. I’m passionate about Jesus and His Church- though I’m especially given to SWC, I love serving the Church and helping her be the great blessing in this world. Favorite Quote? “When a job is first begun, never leave it till it’s done. Be the labor great or small; do it well or not at all.” (- My wise Grandmother) Favorite Scripture? Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (that clears up a great deal for me…and gives me incredible assurance for the future!) Brief Ministry Bio I was born on a church pew; well not exactly. My Dad was a pastor (actually I’m a fifth generation pastor), so I was “attending” church from day one. My parents devoted most of their ministry to children and were among the first few Children’s Pastors in our nation. My Grandfather was a church planter most of his life, serving with the Assemblies of God. Growing up, my parents purposed to teach me the life of Christ and His Church above church programs. I learned by observation, the difference between healthy and unhealthy churches, between destructive and effective. Wow, can’t say enough about those days! Though I enjoyed small “business” ventures as a kid, I had a sense of calling for ministry and at 18 committed my life to full-time service. I joined my parents work with prevention and healing ministry of Child Abuse, performing children’s programs. My character “Sparkles the Clown,” become the ministry tool, and evolved into a national ministry called Kidz Rally USA with a partner Jeremy Odom. The two of us (along with a few interns that periodically joined the craziness) traveled across the country performing in churches, schools, conferences and camps. This landed us in Scottsdale in May of 1994, where we met the incredible people of SWC and I met Jennifer (our founding pastor’s daughter)! Shortly after, we made SWC our home and began serving our community with a focus on ministry to kids. FYI- Jennifer and I married less than a year after we met…having traveled the country to find her, I wasn’t about to wait any longer. My heart for pastoring continued to grow and expand to other demographics, from youth to young adults and eventually served alongside of Pastor Jim in ministering to the congregation at large and enjoyed several years of wonderful mentorship. The summer of 2006, after a number of months of preparation, Pastor Jim retired from his position and the church placed me as Pastor. Today, I serve the Lord by serving His Church. I find incredible fulfillment in leading people the way God teaches us to lead people- by loving them! I anticipate this next season of my life to be the most fruitful for both SWC and my life; with greater help to the hurting of our community and multiplying effective spiritual leaders that are impacting our world for Christ. It’s this anticipation which has led Jennifer and I back to our academic studies. We’re attending Phoenix Seminary where I completed an MAM program in December 2018. Currently, I’m working on my MDiv. program, and will graduate, God-willing, in Spring 2020. Family Members Married to Jennifer for 24 years, with two sons Zachary 19, Joel 17