“My father and mother raised me in the church, so at an early age I accepted Jesus into my life,” says Dr. Andres Garcia. “However, it was not until Stark that I completely knew what that meant. It was then when I started to truly understand that I could have a real relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and my life has not been the same since.”
As a Corpus Christi native, Dr. Garcia has spent most of his life in South Texas. A graduate of TAMU-CC with a BS and Math Minor, he worked at Annapolis Christian Academy as a teacher and coach, as well as at a few different high schools throughout the region. However, in 2006, everything began to change. After his sister took certificate classes at Stark, Dr. Garcia felt called to apply for the Master of Divinity program. “I applied and was accepted, and I have loved it ever since,” he tells us.
Through his classes and experiences at Stark, Dr. Garcia began discerning his call. “I am a teacher at heart,” he says. “I feel teaching and equipping pastors and ministers for work in the church and community is important and something God has called me to do.” He has taught courses at Stark since 2016, and in 2018 he accepted the position of Director of Undergraduate Studies. “I wish everyone knew how much taking classes here helps your faith,” he says. “I believe all Christians should take a class or two here.” He now serves as the Director of Stark’s Certificate in Ministry program.
Dr. Garcia completed a Doctorate of Ministry through Logsdon Seminary in 2022. The topic that intrigues him most is spiritual formation. “I believe that spiritual formation is the living out of Christianity in a person’s life,” Dr. Garcia shares with us. “Spiritual Formation is the process of becoming more like Christ and alive in Christ. I believe that spiritual formation is one of the most important parts of Christianity because it encompasses so many aspects of Christianity including belief, discipline, sanctification, and evangelism. When I started my dissertation, my hope was to figure out how to make spiritual formation go from an individual perspective to a church as a whole.”
When Dr. Garcia is not at Stark, you can find him preaching at New Song Fellowship Church, coaching the Annapolis Christian Academy Warriors in football, and spending time with his wife and three children.