New pastor has felt call since childhood

Since the beginning of July, Chris Flores has been the lead pastor at Pillar of Grace Church in New Prague. He has been the associate pastor for three years of the church at 830 Fourth Ave. SW. Being a pastor is something he knew he wanted to do for years.

“I was a young boy when I felt called to the ministry. I was 10 or 11 when I had the first desire to be a pastor,” said Flores. He explained his father, Ramon Flores, was a pastor and the family moved to different spots from Indiana to upper Michigan to spending one year in Paraguay in South America. That traveling later inspired him as he and his wife Rachel feel called to mission work. They have done missions to Thailand, Israel and Mexico.

His father was finally a pastor in the nearby community of Jordan, where Flores went to high school. Flores attended Crown College in St. Bonifacious where he graduated with a bachelor degree in pastoral leadership. He was recently ordained and this is his first lead pastor position.

“It’s been going great,” Flores said of the last two months. “It’s encouraging and we plan to have more of a focus on outreach and be a light for the community.”

When Flores became the associate pastor it was.....

To see more on this story pick up the September 13, 2018 print edtion of The New Prague Times.