Born and raised in Southern California, Steve became a Christian in 1984 while in college.  He is a graduate of Pepperdine University (BA, religion), and Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div).  Following seminary, Steve served as the pulpit minister at the Anderson Church of Christ (Anderson, CA) for 11 years before accepting the position at the Tri-Valley Church in 2001.  Steve and his wife, Casey, have three sons.