"Welcome home...welcome to Faith!"Pastor Travis Pittock was born in Cleveland, OH, September 22, 1976. After the birth of his sister he was baptized in March 1981 at the age of four. It was that day Pastor Travis said aloud, “Someday, I’m gonna be a pastor.” In 1984, Pastor Travis, 8 years old, moved with his family to Morristown, TN, where he was raised. Upon graduating High school in 1994, he pursued his lifelong dream and entered the pre-seminary program at Concordia University, St. Paul, MN. In 1998 he graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies and continued his education at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO. While there, he did his field work at a mission, inner city congregation in East St. Louis, IL and also did mission work during the summer in Guatemala. Quickly he developed a passion for reaching all people with the news of Jesus Christ. Pastor Travis did his vicarage, internship, year in Royal Oak, MI and also was heavily involved in inner city ministry in Detroit. After returning to the seminary for his last year of study in 2001, he married his wonderful bride Stephanie Gruhn Pittock, whom he had met while in college.
Pastor Travis says he is very blessed to be married to such a wise gift from God in Stephanie. “She is a brilliant person, passionate about church and helping people to know Jesus,” he says. “I am proud of her accomplishments as she has worked hard in reaching her goals in her obtaining her Masters in Christian Education and being certified as a D.C.E in the LCMS. I praise God for this precious gift each day, in my wife Stephanie!”
Pastor Travis’ first call was to the Eastern District as missionary to the city of Buffalo, NY. In Buffalo a four year plan was achieved in just two years in the development of an inner-city, pan-Lutheran outreach free medical clinic, the beginning of “Sharing God’s Love” (bringing in families from around the country to do inner-city VBS and ministry), and the planting of a new African American Lutheran Church on Buffalo’s East side. With the down sizing of mission throughout the Eastern District, Pastor Travis began a focus of mission minded, congregational ministry with his first church and preschool in Springville, NY, in 2004. His passion is helping each congregation and member live as missionaries reaching out with the Good News of Jesus and living out their mission potential and gifts for Jesus.
From 2009-2010 Pastor Travis served congregational ministry in the Cleveland, OH area still with a heart and mind of mission and outreach. While in the Ohio District he also served on the district evangelism board, “Partners in Outreach,” helping to develop programs to be used in the local church increasing personal evangelism.
“There is nothing like the local church when the local church is working right!” This is most certainly true. Pastor Travis has a heart for the lost, de-churched, and un-churched. In joyfully living out the Great Commission of our Lord and Savior Jesus, we know that one day, “every knee will bow and tongue confess,” Christ is Savior and Lord.