Chris Tress: A Pastor and an Urban Ministry Director

Chris began working with the inner-city community of Tamarind Avenue in 1998 at Urban Youth Impact. Over those years, his main role was Director of Ministry where he oversaw outreaches, Bible studies, discipleship, recruiting, training, staff, and volunteers. In 2004 the president of Urban Youth Impact, Bill Hobbs, asked Chris to plant Bow Down, a multicultural church focused on transforming the Tamarind Avenue community through the power of the gospel.

The church began to grow and in 2011, Bill and Chris agreed that he needed to step down from his position as Director of Ministry to be the full-time pastor at Bow Down Church. Chris became president of Urban Youth Impact in 2019, working with Bill to continue to love, equip, and empower the children of this community. Chris discusses the impact of the pandemic on his work in both ministries and his view of the post-pandemic world.