Tony Etris, Pastor of Family Ministries
Wife – Kathy Etris
Children – Tyler (b. 1988) Adam (b. 1981)

Pastor Tony grew up in and around the Atlanta, Georgia area. At the age of 19 he was studying commercial art at Dekalb Junior College when the Lord saved him and called him to the ministry. Within 3 months of salvation, he left to pursue God’s will at Bethany Nazarene College in Oklahoma. After graduation, he took a position as youth and children’s pastor in Oilton, Oklahoma with a non-denominational church where he also started a Christian school. It is during this ministry that he met Kathy and they were wed in 1975.

Shortly after, they moved to Indiana to help start a new church. During this time, Pastor Tony worked several jobs including mental health and aide positions for the emotionally handicapped and autistic. He was offered a teaching position with a local school and obtained a Masters in Special Education. After 11 years in the public school arena, Pastor Tony and his family moved to Scott Depot, West Virginia to take the position of assistant pastor and administrator over the Teays Valley Christian School.

He has had a 30 year ministry in youth and children’s programs and believes Christian Education is essential Monday through Sunday. He has served in such areas as Children’s Church, youth pastor, bus ministries, Sunday school development and was the Director of Education for a Christian school, a child development center and the education ministries of the Scott Depot Christ Fellowship. Pastor Tony has worked in the area of parental counseling and has held numerous parenting workshops in several states.

As the District Representative for the Association of Christian Schools International, he has counseled schools throughout West Virginia in educational development and spiritual direction. There is a poster that he keeps upon his office wall that truly describes his heart for family ministries: “A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, the make of car I drove.... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child..” He was quite surprised when the Lord sent him to Morgantown after 15 years in Scott Depot but his family has felt such a warm welcome from the church community that “rooting” in has been miraculously easy.

He is looking forward to what God will be doing in the days ahead as he continues his journey with the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church. As pastor of children’s and families ministries it is his desire to help parents in their responsibility of raising up young men and women for Christ.