Senior Pastors Joshua & Lavan
Their Story
Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in the small town of West Liberty, Iowa, Pastor Joshua was raised in a Christian home and is one out of 4 siblings. From a very young age, Joshua was taught and raised in the ways of the Lord by his parents, who were and are still Senior Pastors of a church in that small town. Having given his life to the Lord at the age of 7, Joshua grew up in the church until the age of 23, when he had a personal encounter with God that changed his life.
At the age of 23, Joshua felt the call of God over his life for full-time ministry. With a desire to equip himself for that calling, he enrolled at Nelson University (formerly SAGU) in Waxahachie, Texas, packed his car, and moved to Texas. It was in this season, as he took this leap of faith all on his own and left his family and all that he knew behind, that God began to work in Joshua’s life, preparing him for what He had in store for him.
As he pursued his studies at Nelson University, Joshua found and rooted himself in a church located in Dallas, TX. Through this ministry, Joshua was able to gain a great amount of hands-on ministry experience, from serving as a Youth Leader to preaching and traveling as an Evangelist. It was also here that Joshua met the love of his life, his wife, Lavan.
At the age of 28, after graduating from Nelson University, he received his Associates in Biblical Studies, and while being engaged to Lavan, Joshua felt the urge to move back home. However, before moving back to Joshua’s hometown of West Liberty, Iowa, Lavan desired her family to know the Lord and be saved. So they began a home Bible Study with her family. Weeks into this Bible Study, Joshua and Lavan started to see that more and more people were being invited and showing up, and the word was spreading about what God was doing in these gatherings. During this time, Joshua felt the call from God to stay in Texas, plant a church with this group of people, and pastor them. So, in September of 2010, Fuego Church, then known as Iglesia Cristiana Fuego De Dios, was born.
Pastor Joshua Rivera has been and is still the Senior Pastor of Fuego Church, Pastoring two locations in the cities of DeSoto and Red Oak. Fuego Church is a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-generation church that serves about 900 people every week through multiple services, in-person and online. Pastor Joshua is an Ordained Minister through the Assemblies of God and holds various degrees such as an Associates in Horticulture Sciences from William Penn University, an Associates in Biblical Studies from Nelson University, and a Master of Ministry from Vision International University. Pastor Joshua has a passion for the lost, and he desires to see the lives of individuals and families be impacted and transformed by the power of the Gospel and the love of God!