Meet Our Pastor
Hello,
Thanks again for visiting our site. We hope you find it both informative and helpful. My name is Scott Ptak and I'm the founding pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Whenever I go visiting at other churches, I always like to know a little bit about the pastor and his background. So, in that spirit, I thought I'd share a bit about my background, my family, and the ministry that God has called us to here in Chattanooga.
"Readers Digest" Version of My Bio
I was born and raised in Cleveland Ohio, joining the US Air Force immediately after graduating from high school. After seven years in the military, I worked with a number of companies and in a variety of different types of jobs (bartender, bouncer, cab driver, radio talk show host, on-air production, pilot, criminal investigator, executive protection agent, etc..) trying to "find myself." To say that I was really lost and restless would be an understatement!
In 1981, I met and married the love of my life, Jeen. In 1983, we had our daughter Jennifer, and in 1986, Dave was born. I began working in the retail arena and found myself "gainfully unemployed" in January 1991 while living in Largo, Florida. Little did I know that this was God's plan all along and that this event would be the impetus I needed to finally understand that I couldn't "do life" on my own anymore. On January 31, 1991, I accepted Jesus Christ into my life as my Savior and Lord.
God granted us favor and, after a number of years, I found myself in a senior management role for a great company in Florida. The call of God upon my life was acknowledged and I returned to school to complete my undergraduate and graduate degrees. I received undergraduate degrees in Music and Business Administration from St. Petersburg College and a B.S. in Organizational Management (Human Resources) from Covenant College. My education continued as I received a Master of Arts degree Adult Education from Central Michigan University. I am currently in the process of completing my PhD.
After accepting the call into ministry and being licensed and ordained, I served as the Pastor in a large retirement community and in a Federal prison in Florida. In 1996, I formally left the business world, and my family and I accepted a call to pastor a church in Dalton, Georgia. We ministered there for a little more than three years and in the fall of 2001 began planning, along with a small group of believers, for the new church in Chattanooga.
I stay fairly busy serving as the Pastor of Stonebriar, occasionally serving as an Adjunct Professor at a local college, and as a member of a local business management team. When I'm not being a husband, dad, grandfather, writing, working, teaching or studying, I enjoy backpacking, kayaking, skydiving, and riding my motorcycle through the beautiful mountains of North Georgia and Tennessee.
My family and I reside in North Georgia where my wife Jeen is on staff at an alternative school in Whitfield county. Both of my children, Jen and Dave (USMC active duty), are married to great people who have become like our own children, and, we have four incredibly cool grandchildren - Briana, Ethan, Jacob, and Brayden.
Well, that's really about it. I believe with all my heart that God has got something wonderfully exciting and special in store for Stonebriar Community Church and the people of Greater Chattanooga. For just such a time as this.
If I can ever be of assistance, please feel free to e-mail me or give me a call.
Warmly,
Scott