The Bedlions

A Passion For The Gospel.

Ben and Leanne have been married since 2014 and have three beautiful daughters: Kaylin, Shayla, and Hayden.

Ben has served as a pastor since 2013 and has been involved in worship ministries, youth ministries, and other church leadership roles since 2008. He holds degrees in Bible & Theology and Pastoral Leadership from Multnomah University. Currently, he is the lead pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Springfield, Oregon, but has been blessed with the ability and flexibility to go and serve other churches and organizations through speaking and leading worship.

The Bedlions love doing things together as a family, especially anything involving some sort of friendly competition. Disc golf, basketball, and tennis are family favorites. At home they enjoy board games, puzzles, reading books together, and knock-knock jokes.

Whether it has been leading youth ministries, worship teams, mission trips, or the church as a whole, Ben’s passion is to help people embrace the reality that new life only comes through the Gospel of Jesus.

If you’ve been following Jesus for one day or 10,000 days, it’s Ben’s belief that growth (both new and ongoing) in Christ requires a life of rediscovering the Gospel again and again.

This happens in all facets of life.

Marriage, singleness, parenting, work, sports, school, hobbies… we won’t find our hope, meaning, and purpose unless it’s specifically and fully tied to God and His plan of redemption through Jesus.

This isn’t just about memorizing and reciting a few lines here and there about WHAT the Gospel is. But rather, seeing how the profound truth of the Gospel intertwines and redefines all that we say and do.

Ben is a gifted speaker who can clearly and powerfully articulate God’s Word to all ages in a way that is down-to-earth, compelling, and humble. He is also exceptionally gifted in leading groups with worship music, uniting generations through simple and profound praise and worship. He is extremely easy to work with and will seek not just to be “the speaker” or “worship leader” but participate and serve to help make your event awesome.

Foundational Beliefs

  • I believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be verbally inspired by God and inerrant in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority in faith and life.

    (2 Timothy 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13; John 17:17; Psalm 19:7)

  • I believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

    (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; John 14:16-17; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 9:14)

  • I believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man.

    (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1-12; John 8:58; Hebrews 4:15, 5:8).

  • I believe that man was created in the image of God, both male and female; that he sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death, that is separation from God; that all human beings are born with a sinful nature, and therefore are sinners in thought, word and deed.

    (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:17, James 3:9; Psalms 14:1-3; John 3:36; Romans 3:9-19, 6:23, Romans 5:10-12; Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 John 1:8)

  • I believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, as a representative and a substitutionary sacrifice; and that all who believe in Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood.

    (John 11:25, 3:14-16; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:24-25; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 peter 2:24)

  • I believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into heaven, and in His present life there for us, as High Priest and Advocate.

    (John 14:19; Romans 1:4, 4:25; 1 Corinthians 15:20; Hebrews 2:17, 4:14; 1 John 2:1-2)

  • I believe that Jesus IS returning! I will never claim to know exactly how or when or where I will be when it happens.

    I can say that, according to Scripture, His return will be sudden and visible and there will be some type of Millennial Kingdom.

    And I can’t wait! Praise God!

    (Acts 1:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 20:1-7)

  • I believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God.

    I believe that those who have genuinely trusted in Jesus for salvation are forever sealed by the Holy Spirit and cannot lose their salvation. Genuine belief will be evidenced by a changed life.

    (John 1:12; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13, 6:19; Galatians 3:23-29; Ephesians 1:13; 1 John 2:20, 27)

  • I believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust (those who have believed in Jesus and those who have not), the eternal blessedness of the saved, and the eternal punishment of the lost.

    (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28-29, 6:39; Romans 8:10-11, 19-23; 2 Corinthians 4:14; Revelation 20:13-15)

  • I believe that baptism is the immersion of a believer, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit in testimony of faith in the crucified, buried and risen Christ, and in confession that the believer is to be dead to sin and risen to newness of life in Christ Jesus; and that the Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of the Lord’s death “‘til He comes.”

    Baptism is a command given from Jesus, but in no way accomplishes salvation. Water baptism does not bring the Holy Spirit, instead, the Holy Spirit seals the believer immediately upon genuine belief.

    Likewise, communion does not accomplish salvation nor does it accomplish any “adding to” salvation. I do not believe in transubstantiation.

    (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38-42, 8:36-39; Romans 6:1-11; 1 Corinthians 11:23-30)

  • I believe there are a lot of really great translations of the Bible out there and none of them should be touted as the best. A few great translations that we use often are the ESV, CSB, NIV, NASB, and NKJV.

    Just to be ultra clear, I am not KJV-only, and yes, I will use other translations of the Bible in my study and preaching.