My Life story,
I grew up in Western Pennsylvania in a small rural community. I was the middle child in a family of 7. Our
family was at the low end of the poverty line, although I never realized it until I got much older. When I was
about 4 years old my parents divorced and sometime later my mother married my stepfather. I rarely saw my
biological father as a child and only came to know him in my thirties. He passed away in 1998.My stepfather
was a good man who raised me as his own, with great character and discipline. As an infant I was baptized
Lutheran, however our family attended the Presbyterian church in our home town.
I heard the gospel for the first time at a summer camp for boys when I was 13 years old and accepted Christ
and was baptized later that same fall. I attended a Methodist church in Apollo PA as a teen and was part of a
youth group and Christian coffee house.
At 18 I went to California where I worked in a factory and made my way up through the ranks and
eventually became a plant superintendent. In 1982 I moved to Missoula MT looking for land to homestead.
Not finding anything in MT I moved to Alaska in 1983 and homesteaded in the Salana area just north of the
Wangle St. Allis Wilderness Area. While in Alaska I recommitted my life to Christ and served as a Sunday
school teacher in a House Church I helped establish. I also met my 1st wife Sue while in Alaska, not long
after we moved to Michigan where we had two daughters. Unfortunately, the marriage ended in 1994.
I began attending Faith in Christ Fellowship Church when I moved into the city of Marquette in late
1995. In the fall of 1996, I was asked by the pastor to be the administrative assistant. Though I had many
reservations because I had been divorced, the pastor and elders of the church investigated the situation
and determined that it would not keep me from serving the church, so in October of 1996 I began working as
the Administrative Assistant. In the following years I became the associate pastor under the mentorship of
Rev. Wayne DeYoung. In September of 1998 I met my wife Doris, who is from Malaysia on a Christian
Pen-Pal website and on May 6, 2000 we were married. In July of 2002, Rev. DeYoung left Faith in Christ
Fellowship to return to the mission field and I assumed responsibility as the solo pastor.
I received my license to preach from Classis Northern Michigan in 2002.
I was ordained as a Ministry Associate in 2005.
In October of 2008, after a 3 year period of apprenticeship, I was ordained as Minister of the Word and
Sacrament.
My Theological education is from Summit Bible College, Bakersfield CA. and includes
Bachelor of Theology 2000
Master of Theology (MTh) in 2003.
Doctor of Divinity (D.Div) in 2018
I have served as Pastor with 2 Churches;
Faith in Christ Fellowship, Marquette MI, and Conrad CRC in Conrad Montana.
I grew up in Western Pennsylvania in a small rural community. I was the middle child in a family of 7. Our
family was at the low end of the poverty line, although I never realized it until I got much older. When I was
about 4 years old my parents divorced and sometime later my mother married my stepfather. I rarely saw my
biological father as a child and only came to know him in my thirties. He passed away in 1998.My stepfather
was a good man who raised me as his own, with great character and discipline. As an infant I was baptized
Lutheran, however our family attended the Presbyterian church in our home town.
I heard the gospel for the first time at a summer camp for boys when I was 13 years old and accepted Christ
and was baptized later that same fall. I attended a Methodist church in Apollo PA as a teen and was part of a
youth group and Christian coffee house.
At 18 I went to California where I worked in a factory and made my way up through the ranks and
eventually became a plant superintendent. In 1982 I moved to Missoula MT looking for land to homestead.
Not finding anything in MT I moved to Alaska in 1983 and homesteaded in the Salana area just north of the
Wangle St. Allis Wilderness Area. While in Alaska I recommitted my life to Christ and served as a Sunday
school teacher in a House Church I helped establish. I also met my 1st wife Sue while in Alaska, not long
after we moved to Michigan where we had two daughters. Unfortunately, the marriage ended in 1994.
I began attending Faith in Christ Fellowship Church when I moved into the city of Marquette in late
1995. In the fall of 1996, I was asked by the pastor to be the administrative assistant. Though I had many
reservations because I had been divorced, the pastor and elders of the church investigated the situation
and determined that it would not keep me from serving the church, so in October of 1996 I began working as
the Administrative Assistant. In the following years I became the associate pastor under the mentorship of
Rev. Wayne DeYoung. In September of 1998 I met my wife Doris, who is from Malaysia on a Christian
Pen-Pal website and on May 6, 2000 we were married. In July of 2002, Rev. DeYoung left Faith in Christ
Fellowship to return to the mission field and I assumed responsibility as the solo pastor.
I received my license to preach from Classis Northern Michigan in 2002.
I was ordained as a Ministry Associate in 2005.
In October of 2008, after a 3 year period of apprenticeship, I was ordained as Minister of the Word and
Sacrament.
My Theological education is from Summit Bible College, Bakersfield CA. and includes
Bachelor of Theology 2000
Master of Theology (MTh) in 2003.
Doctor of Divinity (D.Div) in 2018
I have served as Pastor with 2 Churches;
Faith in Christ Fellowship, Marquette MI, and Conrad CRC in Conrad Montana.
A bit about Rev. Kostelansky
