Sean Spoelstra
I was born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada into a family that would say they loved and feared the Lord but were religiously lost. Through the pain of my parents divorce when I was 12 and the joy of attending multiple Christian summer camps during my early teen years, I grew into a deeper knowledge and living relationship with Jesus. At age 18, instead of following in my father’s entrepreneurial business footsteps, I began a journey that led me to attend Bible college, commit my life to full-time ministry and find the love of my life. My wife Melissa and I both earned a degree in Bible Theology from the Moody Bible Institute and then were married in the Fall of 1995 in Mount Pleasant, Texas. Nine days later I was a youth pastor in Owen Sound, Ontario; a small city two and a half hours northwest of Toronto that we later found out is the seventh snowiest in all of North America! Then in June of 1998 I had the privilege of joining my greatest spiritual mentor as the pastor of family ministries in Powell, Ohio. After 10 years of rich ministry there, Melissa and I felt led to plant a church and were sent well to do so. As a couple, we had the privilege of leading that church in Dublin, Ohio for 10 years and then experienced the blessing of a smooth leadership transition for me into a care pastor role in 2018 to Pickerington, Ohio.
Throughout our entire marriage we have dreamed of someday settling down in Texas. When the opportunity to join the staff at Stonegate became a reality, we were thrilled! We have many family and friends within a few hours of Midlothian and look forward to spending more time with them over the years to come. Since childhood Melissa has had a love of study and writing. Over our years of ministry together, she has written curriculum and Bible studies for children, teens, women, small groups, various magazines and online devotionals. In 2014 she published her first of eight women’s Bible studies with Abingdon Press and then in 2022 her first Bible study with Lifeway Press came out. She is also a seasonal Bible teacher for Aspire Women’s Events, Lifeway Live events and various Bible conferences around the US and abroad. We have four grown children: Zach, Abby, Sara and Rachel who live in multiple states. In May of 2023 we gained a daughter-in-law when Zach married Morgan and in September of that same year we welcomed our teenage Guatemalan foster son Yoni into our home.
I have three citizenships: first and foremost, I am a citizen of Heaven because of my faith in Jesus; second, I was born Canadian and third, I choose and am proud to be an American. I love to talk theology: especially about creation, dinosaurs and cults. When not at Stonegate I enjoy working out, playing card/board games, driving my Jeep Wrangler with the roof and doors off and relaxing on my back patio with family and friends.
My hope for Stonegate is that wherever people are on their spiritual journey when they arrive, that they would be shepherded to take next steps in their walk with Jesus while they are here.