Pastor Mike Hardesty

Pastor Mike began his walk with Christ while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1984. He was called to occupational ministry while stationed on the Island of Okinawa Japan, where he also met his wife, Darla. During his four years at Columbia Bible College, Mike & Darla were married. They had two children while serving as missionaries back on Okinawa. Mike was ordained in 1997 at Faith Baptist Church in Park Rapids, MN. He then served as a pastor of a rural church in the logging country of north central Minnesota for two and a half years before accepting the call to Alliance Community Church in 2001. Pastor Mike’s interests and hobbies include being with his family, target shooting, hunting, fishing, scuba diving, softball and reading.

Pastor Mike's Testimony I was the ninth of twelve children in a Catholic home. When I was about four, my mother became a Christian through Scripture reading, and from that time on, we quit attending any church, though my mother read us Bible stories at home. My teen years were filled with recklessness including drug abuse. When I was 18, I totaled my dad's car while under the influence of alcohol. This landed me in jail for three days. Behind bars I read the Bible my brother, John, a U.S. Marine, had given me the previous Christmas. God really began to get my attention. Then I went through Marine Corps basic training and, in God's sovereignty, was stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC where John was also stationed. John took me to a Navigator's Bible study and I turned from sin and trusted Christ as my Lord and Savior in Nov. 1984 and was baptized shortly thereafter. John discipled me and got me involved in church. During my first year as a Christian, the Lord began to impress on me that I was to be in "full-time" ministry. At the end of that first year I received orders to Okinawa, Japan. I was concerned about not being able to maintain my Christian walk away from the fellowship of my brother and the church at Camp Lejeune. Soon after arriving on Okinawa, I sought out a church to attend. God lead me to a missionary church/planter who continued to disciple and teach me about ministry and missions. The Holy Spirit used this missionary to convince me that He wanted me in occupational ministry. After my active duty military service was complete, I went to Columbia Bible College to prepare for future ministry.