Pastor Heath joined the Fruit Cove family in 2023 after serving the church for eighteen years in pastoral and leadership roles in Florida, Kentucky, and Texas. Before becoming our Lead Pastor, he served at Southwestern Seminary as the Chief of Staff to the President and as a member of the Educational Ministries teaching faculty.

Having served most of his ministry in the state, the call to Fruit Cove was like coming back home for Pastor Heath. He previously served Florida Baptists as a trustee for The Baptist University of Florida, as the director of Super Summer Camps, as a member of the state VBS Training Team, and as a guest speaker in the areas of next generation ministry, child safety, and church policy and procedures.

Pastor Heath holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership from Southwestern, a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Southern Seminary, a Master of Arts (M.A.) from Liberty University, and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from Warner University. His doctoral research helped establish the language of “Technology-Mediated Ministry” as it centered on the church’s use of technology and its implications for local church assimilation. His work has been featured on the Social Media Church Podcast and he has written for publications such as 9Marks, the Christian Educational Journal, and the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention.

In addition to local church ministry, Pastor Heath is an experienced law enforcement, fire, and hospital trauma chaplain. He is also a 7th degree black belt in Taekwondo and has traveled extensively using the martial arts as a unique evangelistic tool to share the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. His most cherished blessing is his family. He is married to Casey, and they have two daughters, Audrey Claire and Adeline Rose.