Aaron Rock

I was born in St. Thomas, Ontario in 1973 as the second of six children. In 1979, while sitting in a Gospel meeting, I experienced a great weight of conviction for my sins and later that evening surrendered my life to Christ and was saved. Even though I was still very young, I felt like I was being crushed under the burden of my sin, and desperately hopeless to do anything about it. While I was initially confused about the purpose of Jesus’ death in relationship to my sin, when I finally realized that Jesus had died in my place and that I needed to trust in him alone, I felt as though a light had been turned on in my clouded thinking and everything became clear. I repented and believed. My faith has been tested many times since, including the divorce of my parents, the near loss of a brother in a car accident, the near death of my wife in childbirth, and the challenges of ministry. Yet God’s enduring faithfulness and the realization that I exist for his glory (Exodus 33:18) has served to strengthen and equip me in faith and service.

Vocationally, I intended to apprentice as a plumber, but the Lord called me into vocational Christian ministry in grade 12. I have subsequently been honoured to serve as a youth ministry intern, an associate pastor, a youth pastor, a church planter, a college and seminary professor, a fire chaplain, a conference speaker, and a lead pastor. My education includes a B.Th., from Heritage College, a M.Div. from Moody Seminary in Michigan, a Th.M. in preaching from Wilfrid Laurier, and a D.Min. in spiritual formation from Liberty University.

I met my wife Susie in 1993 while studying in Bible college, and we were married in 1995. We have five children: Josiah (Rachel), Keziah (Daniel), Levi (Julia), Simon (Natasha), and Abby, and a growing number of grandchildren. All of them have come to faith in Christ and serve him in church ministries. Susie serves as Women’s Life Director at Harvest.

The Lord has blessed me with the privilege of pastoring his people and equipped me as a leader and teacher to do so. While I do not hold this calling with a clenched fist, because it belongs to the Lord, I do seek to intentionally and boldly shepherd the people of Harvest Bible Church with cupped hands, by taking seriously the responsibility to be a good servant of the Lord Jesus (1 Tim. 4:11-16)!