Icon Church

Membership: 100

Pastor: Will Carreras (of a three-member

pastor team)

Age: 47

Born: Ramey Air Force Base, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

Formation: Azusa Pacific University, Azusa

Years ordained: 2

SDR: What is the most prevalent sin you’ve heard about or observed from your

congregation?

PW: Drinking too much microbrewed beer — our crowd has a taste for good beer. No, but seriously, I think our biggest struggle is measuring up to the image we see in Scriptures of what a follower of Jesus ought to look like. One thing I see over and over is that we have an ideal of how Jesus wants us to live or the Bible says how we’re to live. I think some people get frustrated that they’re not living up to that standard or what they think they should be living up to.

SDR: How did you discover your vocation?

PW: When I was 13 years old, I knew I needed to be a pastor. I was brought up very religious in church. I was a weird kid. I loved to go to church as a kid — not like most kids. It was always a part of me and I was very serious. I would always try to get my friends to go with me. The church I went to started recognizing some speaking gifts I had, so [by the time I was] about 12 or 13 they would let me get up and make announcements. They would even let me help with some of the teaching.

SDR: Why did you name your church “Icon”?

PW: I have two partners in the church and we’re the three elders. When we started the church, I wanted to name it “Halo,” but they thought that was too much like the video game. So, we kicked around several names and the one that surfaced was “Icon” because in Paul’s letter to the Romans, Jesus is the image of the Father — or the icon of the Father in the Greek. He also said that we are to be the icon, or image, of Jesus.

SDR: Where do you go when you die?

PW: We believe in a heaven, but it’s more a life you enter. I think that the Bible says that heaven will some day come here to Earth, so I believe when I put my trust in Jesus I’ve already entered into eternal life. It’s what we would call the “Kingdom of God.”

SDR: Are there alternatives to heaven?

PW: Sacred text says that God is not only the source of all truth, beauty, goodness, peace, love, but also of life. If one chooses not to be with or reconciled back to God, one chooses separation from the source of all life. Thus, one chooses death or what the Scriptures refer to “outer darkness.” I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. This is why my life’s main purpose and dedication is to lead others back to God and his love.