Steve and Debbie Baker

Steve and Debbie Baker have invested their lives in pursuing their missionary call.  Their first assignment after finishing their seminary studies was the planting of a new church in Northwest Ohio.  From that home mission setting they were appointed as missionaries to the jungles of Peru to work with the Aguaruna Indians.  They later went on to pioneer a district in southern Peru.

The Bakers served as missionaries through World Mission for a total of 13 years.  Steve served as mission director in Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.  They returned to the States because of health problems, but that did not stop them from living out their call.  They started an African American church in southern Georgia.  Later they moved to Alabama and directed the district Spanish work, and transitioned a church from white to black.

Steve and Debbie and boys moved to California in 1996. Steve served on staff at Olive Knolls Church in Bakersfield as the Christian school administrator while Debbie studied to receive her master’s degree in counseling.  They started working with the Central California district with their Hispanic work.  Since 1998 the work has grown from 4 churches to over 30 church starts.  40 students are actively studying in the ministerial classes.   

The Bakers live in Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico just outside of Guadalajara.  Their Specific assignment is Northern Mexico, and directing the border initiative. The Border Initiative has goals of planting 500 new churches on both sides of the 1,500 miles of border between Mexico and the USA.   

The Bakers are committed to seeing these 500 churches planted.  They are praying the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 9:38.  They are praying for 500 pastors and 1,000 volunteer missionaries to help in this great task. 

Palm Sunday of this year Steve helped launched the first American Nazarene Church in Mexico in Rosarito Beach.  He has plans along with Mexican church leaders to launch other American/English speaking congregations in Mexico. 

Steve and Debbie have three sons.  Rex is an associate pastor in Turlock, CA.  He is married and has three children.  Kelvin is a behavioral therapist in Sacramento, CA, and is happily married.  Nelson is single, studying, and loving God.