at his desk in the church office
Pastor Neil Suders began his ministry as pastor of Salem Community Church, Wolfsville, on December 1, 2023. Neil and his wife, Misty, are from the Chambersburg, PA area and are living in Salem’s parsonage located adjacent to the church.
Pastor Neil received Christ as his Savior at the age of five and followed in believer’s baptism at the age of sixteen. God called Neil into the ministry and he graduated from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pastoral Ministries. Since then, he has earned a Master of Divinity from Liberty Theological Seminary and a Doctorate of Ministry from Antietam Biblical Seminary in Hagerstown, MD.
Pastor Neil has been in ministry for over 35 years, serving as both youth pastor and senior pastor.
Pastor Neil Introduces himself to the Wolfsville Community
We are thrilled to be a part of the Salem Community Church family. As my wife, Misty, and I get under way with our new ministry, I wanted to introduce you to my philosophy of ministry. Here are some basic beliefs that influence the way I serve as a pastor.
- I believe that it is a SIN to make the Bible boring! The Bible is the revelation of God’s love to us. It is a “lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path”. It is the sole authority for what we do and how we do it. To make it boring and irrelevant is a huge disservice to God, so I truly believe making it boring is a sin!
- I believe it is also a SIN to make church boring! Please don’t get me wrong. I believe we are to be reverent in our worship, but I feel that when we come together as a family of believers, there should be life and enjoyment. A famous preacher once said, “When I am preaching, I would gladly trade five minutes of laughter for ten minutes of slumber”! Peopleshould look forward to going to church!
- I believe the role of the pastor is to “equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:12). That means it is my role as your pastor to equip you to work alongside of me in the ministry. The word “pastor” means shepherd. I am looking forward to being your shepherd. Christianity is not a spectator sport!
- I believe that there is a benefit to being a part of God’s family. Churches thrive when the members come together and work as a family. I believe building relationships to help us all grow is going to be an important priority at Salem Community Church.
- I believe that “God doesn’t always call the equipped, but He DOES always equip the called”. My seminary training was to equip me to preach the Word of God with conviction and accuracy, “correctly handle the Word of Truth”. While I earned the Dr. Of Ministry degree, I only use that title in written correspondence. While some pastors like being called “Dr. So-and-so”, that’s not me. I would love to be called “Pastor Neil” or just “Neil”. (It goes back to that relationship perspective!!)
So, in a nutshell, I am committed to keeping the sermons alive and relevant, while making sure the church services aren’t stuffy and boring. I am also committed to being your shepherd and building relationships with everyone. Please extend me grace when I do something that you might not be used to. We are on this new journey as an independent community church and together we will be a light in the community and the world!