Andrew Forshee will work to build relationships with youth as the new next-gen pastor at Lake Sarah Baptist Church
a ndrew Forshee’s introduction to ministry came at a young age — in his late teens. But his calling came at a price. “What triggered it was when my aunt passed away; that’s when God really got ahold of my heart,” said Forshee, who is the new next-gen pastor at Lake Sarah Baptist Church. “It was, ‘Either make a decision and follow me, or quit playing,’ essentially. That just started opening opportunities for ministry.”
It was the first time in Forshee’s 17 years that death became real. He knew he was a Christian at the time, but it was her death that woke him up and convinced him he should be more active in the church and scripture reading.
“I found myself volunteering a lot, and the youth pastor at the time said, ‘Hey, do you think you’re called to ministry?’” he said. “I had no idea what it meant to be called to ministry. He said, ‘We’ll find out together.’” Forshee was offered a summer internship, which gave him an opportunity to preach and to teach — basically, getting an inside look at what ministry is all about.
“Interns have the do-it-all job, especially at a little bit bigger church,” he said. “We threw events for the student ministry, and I just fell in love with it; I knew that that’s what I wanted to do with my life — preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Forshee was born in St. Charles, MO, and lived there until he was 24. His aforementioned start in ministry was at First Baptist O’Fallon in Missouri. From there, he served for six years as a youth pastor at Willott Road Community Church in St. Peters, MO, and toward he end of his stint there, he met his wife, Katie. The couple has five homeschooled children: Judah (8), Jeziah (7), Justice (4), Joy (2) and Jozlyn (8 months).
Shortly after meeting, the couple made a pit stop in West Plains, MO, before returning to Sedalia, MO, where he pursued his education in faith and began working with special needs youth. After receiving his Master’s in Biblical Counseling, he began the search for a full-time ministry position.
“I started calling people I knew in ministry,” he said. “That’s when I called Kory (Tedrick, pastor at Lake Sarah Baptist). I was asking about senior pastor positions — what did I need to know about going from a youth pastor to a senior pastor.”
That hour-long phone call last May resulted in Tedrick asking Forshee if he would consider coming to his church to be a youth pastor. Forshee, who is also working on a Doctorate in Biblical Counseling, wasn’t set on being a senior pastor, so when the opportunity presented itself, he was intrigued.
“I wanted to have Biblical counseling be a part of it,” said Forshee. “There were several phone calls and a lot of prayers when we finally decided to apply, and I was offered the position here as a nextgen pastor.”
What is a next-gen pastor? Forshee, who arrived Nov. 2, 2025, said his audience will mostly be middle through high school students. Besides instilling Christ in youth and being a resource for kids, he wants to sometime in the future be a counseling resource for the community.
“We live in a day and age where people are looking for answers, and the Bible has them,” he said.
Forshee has done some preaching already at the church. Upon his arrival, he began leading youth in lessons. He said his main goal as a youth pastor is to partner with the kids’ parents and provide materials they can share with their kids at home.
“A love for Jesus is key, as well as having confidence in their faith,” he said. “I believe we live in a day and age where their faith is challenged often. I want them to see how God can and does provide the answers for things that we go through, especially suffering and hard times.”
