Biographical Sketch

Dr. Arturo G. Azurdia III is Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Director of Pastoral Mentoring at Western Seminary in Portland , Oregon .  He is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, having attended California State University at Hayward where he received a B. A. in Music Performance. His M. Div. was earned from The American Baptist Seminary of the West in Berkeley , California , and his D. Min. from Westminster Seminary in Escondido , California . He was the founding minister of Christ Community Church in Fairfield , California , where he subsequently pastored for 19 years.  He is also the founder of The Spurgeon Fellowship at Western Seminary, a fraternity of ministers devoted to seeking the wisdom of classical pastoral theology for contemporary church ministry.  Art is the author of Spirit Empowered Preaching (Christian Focus Publications) and a contributing author in two additional volumes: The Compromised Church (Crossway) and Reforming Pastoral Ministry (Crossway). He is a frequent speaker at various national and international conferences.  His interests include film, literature, baseball, and the music of Arturo Sandoval.  Art and his wife, Lori, have two children, Katherine and Jonathan.