Graduate Profile: Amos Gibello (MATS)

I was born and raised in Northern NJ. My parents always had a passion for evangelism and missions work (they have been frontier missionaries for over 25 years now), so I was impressed with a vision for the Lord's work at a young age. Primarily as a result of my parents' teaching, I was graciously saved, converted, and then baptized at about 11 years of age. At the age of 16, I became a member of a local United Reformed Church. It was during my years at that URC church and then at the PCA church that I attended while in college that my Reformed convictions were solidified. I maintain very close ties to the local URC churches in my area to this day. After graduating from Grove City College in 2002, I was employed in a CPA firm, obtained my CPA license a couple of years later, and eventually became (and still currently am) a partner in the firm. Since I always had Baptist convictions, a couple of years after college and just before I was married to my wonderful, godly wife, Leah, I started attending a confessional Reformed Baptist church—the Reformed Baptist Church of Lafayette. It was there that the pastor invited me to preach my first sermon at the age of 26. The invitation was unsolicited, but it triggered in me the beginnings of a desire for formal pastoral labors. While I was already engaged in local prison ministry, I also began itinerant preaching. After about 12 years of itinerant preaching and eventually joining Englewood Baptist Church, I joined the eldership at that church in 2019 and eventually began "full-time" pastoral ministry in 2023, when the faithful and long-time pastor of the church, Jim Domm, retired. Being married at an earlier age, the father of 4, employed by a public accounting firm in the NY metro area, and preaching once or twice a month meant that I did not have a lot of extra time to allocate to formal theological studies. In my early years, I was trained and mentored by local pastors—first from Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, NJ, and then by my co-elder Jim Domm. It wasn't until I was about 35 years old that I started classes at RBS. While I did attend one in-person module, the remote format and the ability to fit my studies in around all my other responsibilities made RBS a great fit for my situation. I am glad to have had the opportunity to learn from those who have gone before me, and it is my great desire and prayer that the Lord will grant me the privilege to serve Him for many years as a pastor of His blood-bought flock.

Amos Gibello