My Story

Hi, I’m Keith Snow - husband, dad, pastor, and follower of Jesus.

I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, in a home where Jesus was central. When I entered the world, I gave my parents the shock of their lives. They were expecting their fourth child, but the doctors discovered that there was a fifth on the way: me. Surprise! There’s a photo I love from that day: my dad, wide-eyed, mid-sentence: “Two?!?” Joy and terror captured in a single moment.

My parents came to faith in the early ‘70s after a family member shared the gospel, and our community at First Baptist Church of Jacksonville became the heart of our family’s life. We were active in Sunday services, midweek discipleship, choir tours, summer camps, you name it. But it was especially during the painful season of my parents’ divorce in the early ‘90s that church became a true refuge for me. That time of loss and upheaval opened my heart to the nearness and goodness of Jesus. I was baptized at sixteen, and I’ve been clinging to Christ ever since.

I attended Stanton College Prep and then studied English Literature at the University of North Florida. While there, I took a job with the church as a “summer missionary,” knocking on doors to do spiritual surveys and learning how to share my faith in the midst of it. On a mission trip to Mexico that summer, I was asked to write and preach my first sermon – a life-changing experience.

I also met my wife Kristen in college. We bonded over our shared love of music (R.E.M. was the initial touchpoint). In the summer of 2001, she left on a missions trip to Italy and I sent her off with a handwritten letter and a mix CD. A year later we were engaged, and we got married in December 2002. She’s still the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

My love for story, theology, and the arts led me to Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, where I pursued a Master of Arts in Theological Studies with a focus on Theology and the Arts. I was deeply shaped by professors like Richard Pratt, John Frame, and Reggie Kidd, and by thinkers like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. My imagination was being baptized into a gospel-soaked vision of culture, beauty, and the kingdom of God.

Just as I was considering continuing on for an M.Div., God surprised us again, with twins! London and Noël were born in August 2007, and I shifted into the working world to support our growing family. After a season helping plant a church in St. Augustine and navigating a layoff during the 2008 economic downturn, God opened a door for full-time ministry back in Jacksonville at River City Church, where I served as Director of Discipleship.

In 2012, I joined the staff of Cross Creek Church in Saint Johns as Associate Pastor. Our family kept growing: our daughter Adeline was born in 2009, and our son Luke in 2012. I returned to RTS to complete the coursework for the M.Div. and was ordained in the PCA in 2015.

When our Senior Pastor stepped down in 2017, the elders asked me to serve as Interim Pastor. That transitional season was challenging, but God was faithful, and later that year the congregation called me to be Cross Creek’s new Senior Pastor. Over the next several years, we experienced growth in both depth and breadth: new believers, new leaders, and new ministries launched, including a second worship service and a Life on Life Missional Discipleship initiative. Our mission was simple and clear: to make disciples who make disciples.

In 2023, I accepted a call to serve a church in Atlanta, but after resigning from Cross Creek and preparing for the move, we discerned that it was not the right thing at that time. I entered a sabbatical season to listen for God’s voice and wait on his leading. For the time being, I’ve been working in a corporate role with the local public media station here in Jacksonville while continuing to pray and prepare for what’s next.

I am now in my mid-40s, with kids in their teenage years and a heart still burning with love for Christ and His church, I feel more energized than ever to preach the gospel, shepherd God’s people, and help build the kingdom through the local church. Whether through preaching, discipleship, leadership development, or simply walking with people through life’s joys and sorrows, I long to creatively and faithfully bear witness to the story of redemption.

If you’re looking for a shepherd who brings deep conviction and warm compassion, who treasures Scripture and values people, who leads with vision and vulnerability, I’d love to talk. Thank you for reading my story!