Pastor Rick Hawkins

Began his tenure in Ministry in 1980, traveling full-time with then-Evangelist Carlton. Pearson of Higher Dimensions Evangelistic Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After being groomed and mentored, he was instrumental in establishing several churches, while evangelizing and serving in the capacity of both Youth and Associate Pastor. Pastor Hawkins’ traveling ministry took him into various geographical locations. These undertakings spanned over a period of years from 1982 to 1993, at which time he answered the call of pastorate and founded Family Praise Center of San Antonio. This integrated ministry, noted as an apostolic epicenter, has grown since its inception in 1993, from 60 members to over 4,500. In June 2003, the Apostolic Training Center was established by Pastor Hawkins as an institution of learning and growth, the impetus for its existence being training leaders for the next generation of success, offering courses focusing on spiritual growth, recognizing and cultivating the gifts and calls of ministry, church doctrine, financial management, life and family planning and many more. Under the auspices of Family Praise Center, Pastor Hawkins founded the School of Excellence In Education, a public charter school and The Nehemiah Institute, established to educate at-risk students, giving them an opportunity to complete scholastic requirements despite their inability to mainstream with their local school district.

Pastor Hawkins was a keynote speaker at San Antonio’s Martin Luther King, Jr. March (2005, 2006, 2013, 2015 & 2016), the America’s largest such observation of the legendary leader’s life celebration. He has also been featured in various newspaper and magazine article, including a cover story in Ministries Today, a branch of Charisma Magazine.

Pastor Hawkins served on the AZUSA Fellowship’s Board of Directors and presided as the Oversight Pastor for its Southwest Region from 1996-1999. He is a published author and is responsible for the works of, David’s Mighty Men: A Study in Loyalty, whose contents have been instrumental in building men’s ministries worldwide, and The Power of Agreement, and The Benjamin Blessing: God’s Five-Fold Plan For Your Destiny, and The Inner Circle: The Value of Friendship, Trust and Influence, and The Wall: Disaster or Destiny? Lessons from Life’s Crossroads, and his most recent book Training Your Thinking – 21 Days of Mental Discipline.

Currently, Pastor Hawkins serves as the senior pastor for Quest Church in Norman, Oklahoma. Quest Church is a multi-cultural, spirit-filled and thriving church. He oversees Place for Life Church (formerly known as Family Praise Center) in San Antonio, TX which he turned over to his son, Dustin Hawkins. Pastor Rick is high-demand speaker among churches throughout the world. Including Asia, Colombia, Panama, Central America, Mexico, and South Africa. In fact, he has been instrumental in the erecting of schools in Durban, South Africa. This influence has also spanned to include an A.I.D.S. Counseling Center for children diagnosed with the disease, where not just their physical needs are met but they are also ministered to daily.

Pastor Rick’s most treasured asset are his relationships. His pastor, Dick Bernal, serves as an advisory board member for the influential Church Growth International forum founded by his Pastor, Dr. David Yonggi Cho of Seoul, Korea and speak at conferences together worldwide.

After 39 years of ministry, Pastor Hawkins is as passionate and dedicated to advancing the kingdom of God as ever. Building kingdom relationships, inspiring people, and developing leaders is fundamental to his purpose.