On Sunday November 10th, Cheektowaga Baptist Church voted in their new Pastor, Rev. Dr. Ian Turner.
Rev. Dr. Ian Turner is originally from Oak Park, IL in the Chicago metro area, where he was involved in campus ministry from 2002 to 2011, during which he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Elmhurst University (2008) and a Master of Arts in Linguistics from Northeastern Illinois University (2011). His seminary education began at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, IL) from 2011 to 2012, during which time he was licensed to preach at New Life Fellowship Church (Waukegan, IL). Shifting his focus to full time teaching and administration to support his growing family, he continued studying part time to complete his Master of Divinity at Reformed Baptist Seminary (2012–2018). After working in Christian teaching, research, and theological editing from 2018 to 2021, Pastor Ian was involved in pastoral ministry at Grace Baptist Church in Carlisle, PA from 2021 to 2024, where he was ordained to pastoral ministry in 2023. Also in 2023, he earned a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament) from Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan (2023). In God’s providence, Cheektowaga Baptist Church extended a call to Pastor Ian on November 10, 2024 for a start date of January 1, 2025.
Pastor Ian’s ministry priority is to teach and preach Scripture from a Christ-centered, Baptist, and Reformed perspective to equip God’s people and their families for doctrinally grounded discipleship in a community where emotionally healthy leaders are developed to serve Christ’s body, to deepen their joy in God in personal life and gathered worship, to reach out in gospel ministry to the local community, and to support international missions in prayerful dependence on God’s sovereignty for His glory.
Pastor Ian has been married to his wife, Mercy, since 2008. She is originally from the Philippines and works as a Registered Nurse. They have been blessed with two children: their son, Christian (2013), and their daughter, Joanna (2016). Pastor Ian enjoys spending time with his family, reading, music, running, traveling, researching biblical languages and linguistics, and participating in academic conferences.
