Steve Thomas
Head Pastor
I’ve had the joy of serving as the Senior Pastor here at Gulf Coast Baptist Church since August of 2024, and this church has been home for my family and me since the summer of 2016. Long before that, the Lord called me into ministry, and I was ordained in April of 2000 after completing my Master of Divinity. I spent fifteen years serving as an Assistant Pastor at Orlando Bible Church, and later earned a Master’s degree in Leadership from Pensacola Christian College.
Before becoming Senior Pastor, I served for over thirty years as a Christian school administrator and head of school. Teaching, shepherding, and leading God’s people has always been the heart of my calling. I’ve had the privilege of speaking at Bible conferences across the country, teaching an adult Sunday School class for more than three decades, and writing curriculum for the GCBC Bible Institute and our Discipleship Groups. I truly enjoy using the spiritual gift God has given me as a pastor and teacher for the good of the body of Christ, just as 1 Corinthians 12:7 reminds us.
My greatest earthly blessing is my family. My wife Jennifer and I were married in August of 1994 after graduating from Clearwater Christian College, and the Lord has given us three wonderful daughters—Madeline, Anna, and Lindsay—who are all faithfully serving in their local churches.
When Jennifer and I first visited Gulf Coast Baptist Church in 2016, we were deeply touched by how warmly we were welcomed into the fellowship. We are praying that God will continue to mature the saints here and grow this church in His perfect time and in His perfect way. We would love for you to visit GCBC, and when you do, please introduce yourselves—we look forward to meeting you.
Before becoming Senior Pastor, I served for over thirty years as a Christian school administrator and head of school. Teaching, shepherding, and leading God’s people has always been the heart of my calling. I’ve had the privilege of speaking at Bible conferences across the country, teaching an adult Sunday School class for more than three decades, and writing curriculum for the GCBC Bible Institute and our Discipleship Groups. I truly enjoy using the spiritual gift God has given me as a pastor and teacher for the good of the body of Christ, just as 1 Corinthians 12:7 reminds us.
My greatest earthly blessing is my family. My wife Jennifer and I were married in August of 1994 after graduating from Clearwater Christian College, and the Lord has given us three wonderful daughters—Madeline, Anna, and Lindsay—who are all faithfully serving in their local churches.
When Jennifer and I first visited Gulf Coast Baptist Church in 2016, we were deeply touched by how warmly we were welcomed into the fellowship. We are praying that God will continue to mature the saints here and grow this church in His perfect time and in His perfect way. We would love for you to visit GCBC, and when you do, please introduce yourselves—we look forward to meeting you.
Daniel Brake
Associate Pastor
I was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and grew up near Philadelphia. After watching the Christ-like testimony of my family for nearly a decade, I came to trust Christ as my Savior at the age of nineteen. Not long after that, I worked for Coca-Cola for five years before God led me to Florida to attend Pensacola Christian College. There, I earned a master’s degree in History Education (2006) and later a master’s degree in Biblical Exposition (2008).
After finishing school, I taught and coached at Pensacola Christian Academy. Rebekah and I were married in 2010, and before long we began to sense that the Lord was leading our young family in a new direction. After a season of prayer and waiting on His guidance, I accepted the role of Youth/Assistant Pastor at Gulf Coast Baptist Church in 2011—a place I’ve been blessed to serve ever since.
After about ten years in youth ministry, I transitioned into a more adult-focused role that allows me to spend more time doing what I love most: studying and teaching God’s Word in a variety of settings. It truly is a joy and a privilege to serve and learn alongside the faithful saints at Gulf Coast Baptist with my wife who has been an incredible help to me over the years.
Rebekah and I enjoy exploring the West whenever we can get away together, and we are thankful for our four wonderful kids—Benjamin, Patrick, Joanna, and Lucy. I’m a self-proclaimed history nerd and a passionate fan of cheesesteaks and Philadelphia sports. I look forward to meeting you if God directs you to Gulf Coast Baptist Church.
After finishing school, I taught and coached at Pensacola Christian Academy. Rebekah and I were married in 2010, and before long we began to sense that the Lord was leading our young family in a new direction. After a season of prayer and waiting on His guidance, I accepted the role of Youth/Assistant Pastor at Gulf Coast Baptist Church in 2011—a place I’ve been blessed to serve ever since.
After about ten years in youth ministry, I transitioned into a more adult-focused role that allows me to spend more time doing what I love most: studying and teaching God’s Word in a variety of settings. It truly is a joy and a privilege to serve and learn alongside the faithful saints at Gulf Coast Baptist with my wife who has been an incredible help to me over the years.
Rebekah and I enjoy exploring the West whenever we can get away together, and we are thankful for our four wonderful kids—Benjamin, Patrick, Joanna, and Lucy. I’m a self-proclaimed history nerd and a passionate fan of cheesesteaks and Philadelphia sports. I look forward to meeting you if God directs you to Gulf Coast Baptist Church.
Chadwick Hook
Youth Pastor
My name is Chadwick Hook, Youth Pastor at GCBC. In 2024 I married the love of my life, Janae Hook, and we are expecting our beautiful baby girl shortly.
I first came to know Christ as my Savior when I was 8 years old and I realized my need for a Savior to restore me from my sins.
My wife and I took the youth pastor position at GCBC in January of 2025 and we continue to love and appreciate this body of believers God has placed us in.
My wife and I love all the youth God has placed under our care and has placed in our hearts a passion for seeing them develop a personal relationship with Christ our Lord. In a world filled with distractions that are crying for the priorities of our youth to draw them away from the things of God we seek to be used of God to teach our youth how to block out the distractions of this world and to place in proper priority the things of our Lord in the balance of living in a physical world. We do not want to teach our youth to ignorantly follow what they are instructed but to challenge it with the instructions of God’s written Word and to understand why they believe what they believe.
We look forward to seeing who God will place in our care and how God will use us in the lives He places in our path.
I first came to know Christ as my Savior when I was 8 years old and I realized my need for a Savior to restore me from my sins.
My wife and I took the youth pastor position at GCBC in January of 2025 and we continue to love and appreciate this body of believers God has placed us in.
My wife and I love all the youth God has placed under our care and has placed in our hearts a passion for seeing them develop a personal relationship with Christ our Lord. In a world filled with distractions that are crying for the priorities of our youth to draw them away from the things of God we seek to be used of God to teach our youth how to block out the distractions of this world and to place in proper priority the things of our Lord in the balance of living in a physical world. We do not want to teach our youth to ignorantly follow what they are instructed but to challenge it with the instructions of God’s written Word and to understand why they believe what they believe.
We look forward to seeing who God will place in our care and how God will use us in the lives He places in our path.