Ken Birks is an ordained Pastor/Teacher in the Body of Christ and is a pastor and elder at The Rock of Roseville in Roseville, California where he also functions as a Bible teacher. Ken has been a part of The Rock of Roseville since its inception in 1997. Prior to coming to The Rock of Roseville, Ken was the Senior Pastor of Golden Valley Christian Center, a non-denominational, Spirit-filled church, for twelve years.
In February 1997, the Lord led Ken and his wife Lydia to resign as Senior Pastor of Golden Valley Christian Center (which had recently been renamed Cherry Glen Community Church.) Golden Valley Christian Center was part of the Abbott Loop Fellowship of Churches (Anchorage, AK) under the apostleship of Dick Benjamin. After pastoring for twelve years, Ken felt that he had fulfilled his time as senior pastor to his congregation, and that God wanted to do a new thing! The members agreed it would be best to close the doors of the church permanently rather than trying to rebuild with another pastor coming in. Their decision was to only sell the large building to a ministry that would continue to really make a difference for the Kingdom of God. Having known of Francis Anfuso and having great respect for his ministry, and then hearing it was his desire to start a church in the Roseville area, Ken contacted him and gave him first opportunity towards purchasing the building. Plans were made and The Rock purchased the building within a few short months. While it was heartbreaking to let go, they knew their deep church friendships would last forever. They still meet together throughout the years in friendship and love.
Ken attended and graduated from The Charismatic Bible College of Anchorage where he came into relationship with Apostle Dick Benjamin, who was then the Sr. Pastor of Abbott Loop Christian Center (ALCC) in Anchorage, Alaska. Dick Benjamin has been one of the strongest spiritual influences in his life. Ken would say, “Aside from The Lord Jesus Christ, the core of my spiritual being and the person I have become is a direct result from the influence and teaching I have received from Dick Benjamin for more than 25 years.” Other influences have been Bob Mumford from Life Changers and, in the past 10 years, Pastor Francis Anfuso of The Rock of Roseville.
Ken was originally sent out on a church planting team from Abbott Loop Christian Center (ALCC) in August 1978 to Chico, California. Lydia moved down from Alaska to Chico a year later and they were married. While in Chico, on an internship program from the Bible College in Anchorage, Ken also had the opportunity to finish his AA degree in Business from Butte College in Chico. In 1981, Ken and Lydia moved to the Sacramento area to join the ALCC outreach church that he later would pastor for twelve years.
Ken’s primary gift is in the area of teaching. He teaches the word of God with passion and balance. He has an intense desire to impart a genuine love and appreciation for God’s Word. He is called to teach and preach God’s word in way that helps to shape and influence the minds and hearts of God’s people. His vision and burden is to impart faith through teaching and preaching for the Body of Christ to come into the fulfillment of Ephesians 4:13 – that is for the Body of Christ to come to the unity of faith in the stature and fullness of Christ – and to impart vision for the Body of Christ to rise up and be who God has called her to be.
Ken’s wife, Lydia, is a dynamic children’s minister who captures their hearts by imparting God’s Word with passion and love. She founded and directs The Rock’s yearly Vacation Bible School, Rock It! Kid’s Summer Blast and considers children’s ministry the delight and joy of her heart! She is also personal assistant to the senior pastor at The Rock of Roseville and serves on the pastoral care team.
Ken and Lydia have two adult children, Ben and Keith, and consider them their highest calling, along with the many teens and children whom they have been foster or surrogate parents to over the past 20 years.
