Ben was born November 26, 1960 in Columbus, GA. Shortly after birth the doctors told his parents that he would not live very long: they were told this repeatedly until he was twelve years old. Thankfully, he was raised in a Christian home with parents who continuously believed and prayed for healing. Christ showed His mercy and by the time he was thirteen, Christ had healed him of every disease.
After graduating high school, he formed a ministry to reach the unchurched youth in Columbus, GA. They formed a band and began singing about the love of Christ. Within a few months more than 40 youth had accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Ben’s passion for the lost continued to grow and in 1981 the Lord led him to Atlanta to assist in forming a similar outreach ministry at Mount Paran Church of God.
God blessed the outreach ministry in Atlanta and within a year the number of youth accepting Christ was averaging 50 per week. The church youth group grew into the hundreds and they were soon invited to share their ministry with other churches all over the country. By the end of 1992, the ministry team had traveled to every state in the US, in addition to missionary trips to the Philippines, Mexico, and Canada. During the eleven years Ben served with Broken Heart Ministries (a.k.a. Mylon & Broken Heart, a contemporary Christian music group), he was blessed to witness thousands of people make a personal commitment to Christ.
God also blessed the ministry with several awards and other achievements. They received Grammy award nominations and Dove award nominations almost every year from 1981 to 1992, winning a Grammy in 1988 and several Doves from 1985-1992. Ben also had the pleasure of working with many of the world's top recording artist, record producers, professional athletes, ministers and ministries during this time.
In addition to God blessing the ministry, He also gave Ben a family. Shortly after moving to Atlanta Ben met Carol and they were married in 1983. In 1988, God blessed them with a precious daughter, Shayla.
By 1992, Ben’s love for the original language of Scripture and the ancient Jewish culture led him back to school where he attended Lee Bible College and Mercer Seminary.
After graduating, he moved back to Columbus, GA and began working with several churches doing evangelism. He also worked with the youth and singles ministry at Wynnbrook Baptist. By the end of 1992, he became the senior pastor at Upatoi Baptist Church. God richly blessed Ben’s time there. The Sunday school and worship services more than tripled and many new outreach ministries were started.
During this same time his wife Carol was diagnosed with cancer. After battling for five years, she went to be with our Lord in April of 2002. Shortly after, Ben resigned from his church in order to heal and spend more time with his daughter.
In February of 2003, he began pastoring at Plant City Baptist Church in Lanett, AL. During this time Ben met a beautiful, godly woman named Wanda Key. They fell in love and were married on September 17th, 2004. Ben also gained two stepsons; Justin and Jacob.
In 2002, Ben’s love of music led him to start a new ministry to encourage musicians, songwriters and studio owners. Over the next few years, Ben and Wanda made several trips to Atlanta and Nashville to minister. Ben also began ministering to other pastors and ministry leaders across the country.
In January of 2006, Ben was called to pastor Rocky Mount Baptist a.k.a. The Church @ Lake Harding. Ben says, “This is the most awesome group of people I have ever served as a pastor. They are eager to grow, they’re not afraid of change and they are willing to do what ever it takes to reach people for Christ. Most of all, these people are FUN to be with. I can’t believe how blessed I am to have such a wonderful Christian family. These people are truly my friends in Christ. My prayer is that all who need the love and goodness of Christ would join us. Our people truly follow the example of Christ; they don't condemn, rather they love all people.”
