Pastor Jeff Hastings grew up in Cassville, a small town in Southwest Missouri. He was saved in September 2000, at the age of 27, under the preaching ministry of Pastor Jeff Ables.
In December of that same year, Pastor Hastings surrendered to the call to preach. He attended the Calvary Baptist Bible Institute in his church, Calvary Baptist in Knob Noster, MO, under Pastor Jeff Ables and later Pastor Jeff Merrick.
After serving in various ministries and completing his pastoral/doctrinal training, God placed it upon Pastor Hastings’ heart to return to Columbia, MO, where he had received his college degree in Physical Therapy. Calvary Baptist unanimously voted to send the Hastings to Columbia to start a New Testament Independent Baptist Church.
Starting with just their family, renting a hotel conference room, working full time as a physical therapist, Pastor Hastings and his family began having services in November 2004. God began to do a work and they organized the Bible Baptist Church of Columbia, MO in April 2010 and was called as the Pastor of this newly established church.
Bible Baptist Church has seen people’s lives saved and changed by the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. God allowed Bible Baptist to miraculously purchase its current property in Nov 2010 with a 200+ seat auditorium, 9,000+ sqft building, a paved parking lot and 5 acres. God recently added a new $100,000 playground as a grant from a local business.
In November 2024, they will celebrate the church’s beginning and have a 20th year homecoming/anniversary service. Bible Baptist Church believes in missions and will have given close to $1 million dollars to missions, in total, since its start come this November 2024. They currently have 5 men called to preached and training in their Bible institute and praying about starting other New Testament Baptist Churches.
Pastor Hastings has had the privilege to be the missionary/Pastor of Bible Baptist Church from its inception. Pastor Hastings fully acknowledges that ONLY God could do what has been done in Columbia, MO. Bible Baptist church is truly a testimony of “what God hath wrought.” And that the old fashion, timeless Bible way of churches starting churches (preaching the Word, reaching the lost, baptizing them and then discipling them) still works.
Pastor Hastings and his wife Kristina are high-school sweethearts, married June 29, 1996 and have 6 children. Five girls and a boy. Kristina was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in July of 2019, at the age of 45, and sadly passed away 3 months later. Though this heartbreaking loss has been extremely difficult for their family and church family, God has shown Himself good and merciful through it all.
His three older girls are all married and faithfully serving the Lord with their spouses. His 3 youngest children are still at home, serving God in the ministry with him. He has 4 adorable grandchildren, with the expectation of many more on the way.