Kenneth E. Ortiz (ThM; PhD-ABD) is Lead Pastor of Horizon City Church (and he’s better known as “Kenny” to his friends). Horizon City Church is part of Pillar Network and Send Network.

Previously, Kenny served as a professor and recruiter at Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, MN and a pastor at Cities Church in St. Paul, MN and an adjunct instructor at Spurgeon College in Kansas City, MO. He’s also adjunct faculty for Wiberg Seminary in Sweden. Kenny is also a published author and the chief content creator and podcast host for Theology for the Rest of Us.

Kenny has earned two undergraduate degrees, two graduate degrees, and has completed additional graduate coursework in various disciplines. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Historical Theology (at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City); he has completed all coursework and is currently editing his final draft of this dissertation (to be completed by the end of 2026). His doctoral research is focused on the development of theological anthropology within the neo-evangelical movement of the twentieth century with specific focus on the theological anthropology of Carl F. H. Henry.

Kenny has nearly 20 years of vocational ministry experience. He has also been a successful entrepreneur. In addition to publishing content for Theology for the Rest of Us he has also written for Desiring God and Just Disciple. Kenny also has a TEDx Talk called “How to be a Great Mentor.” It has been watched nearly 200,000 times worldwide. Kenny is a self-described Disney enthusiast, he loves board games, and he’s a big fan of Philadelphia and Villanova sports teams.

He is married to Malaina. She earned a B.A. with double majors (Intercultural Studies and Biblical Studies) and an M.A. in Intercultural Leadership, both from Bethany Global University. Kenny and Malaina live in Clermont, FL. They have three young kids.

2024-2026     Horizon City Church

• Founding Pastor; Lead Pastor

2022-2023     Bethlehem College and Seminary

• Assistant Professor of History and Theology
• Associate Director of College Recruiting

2019-2023     Cities Church

• Served on council of elders and engaged in various ministerial duties as needed.
• Preached Sunday morning sermons 10-12 times per year.
• Served as part of vocational ministry team Aug. 2019 to Apr. 2022; served as lay pastor from Apr. 2022 thru Jun. 2023.
• Oversaw hospitality team and assimilation processes.
• Managed church-wide communications and periodicals.

2016-2022     Bethany Global University

• Dean of Online Education, Director of Strategic Initiatives, and Professor of theology and contemporary issues.
• Taught residential and online courses, both undergraduate and graduate level courses, in subjects/disciplines such as researching, writing, theology, ethics, missiology, preaching, and public policy.
• Oversaw and managed strategic partnerships.
• Created digital content for content marketing strategies; wrote and edited dozens of articles as part of the school’s ‘content marketing’ strategies.
• Created and taught online ‘enrichment courses’ offered to non-matriculated students.
• Managed the process of developing new programs including a midwifery program, online undergraduate offerings, an accelerated BA-MA program, and a post-graduation on-campus apprenticeship program.

2013-2016     Mosaic Church

• Served as Student Ministry Coordinator (150+ students).
• Preached 2–3 times per month to high school students and 3–4 times per month to young adults.
• Helped manage church-wide communications and periodicals.
• Handled various pastoral and administrative duties.

2005-2013     Teen Mania Ministries

• Served as Director of Operations for “Acquire the Fire” youth conferences.
• Oversaw logistics for thirty-three youth conferences across North America (average attendance 5,000+ per conference); negotiated contracts with vendors, venue management, labor unions, merchandisers, talent managers, private security firms, and local law enforcement.
• Managed annual budget of more than $3million.
• Managed team of five full-time staff and 60+ interns.
• Served as coach/trainer for mission trip leaders.
• Preached/taught at missions training seminars and coached short-term mission trip leaders.
• Helped to lead 45+ short-term mission trips.
• Managed transportation and supply chain logistics.

2003-2012     Real Estate Entrepreneurship

• Self-employed landlord and real estate investor; frequently “flipped” residential properties and real estate secured paper assets.
• Launched and managed a successful property management company.
• Launched and managed a commercial mortgage brokerage and private/hard money lending firm.

2006-2008     New Foundations Charter School

• Associate Director of Extracurricular Activities.
• Substitute Teacher.
• Coached middle school basketball and flag football.
• Taught SAT Prep classes.

2003—2005     Christian Life Center

• Served as Assistant Youth Pastor (200+ students in local youth ministry).
• Oversaw Sunday school programming, taught classes, and wrote curricula for all ages.
• Handled various pastoral and administrative duties as assigned by Youth Pastor.

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

• Ph.D., Historical Theology (in progress)
• Th.M., Pedagogy
• Master of Divinity

Harvard Medical School, Harvard University

• Completion of coursework in Genetics and Physiology via HMX Fundamentals program

Spurgeon College

• Bachelor of Arts, Biblical Studies

Warren National University

• Bachelor of Science, concentration in Organizational Leadership and Psychology

Berean School of the Bible

• Completion of two-years of coursework, completed all requirements for denominational ministerial credentials

BLAST Training Program

• Completion of apprenticeship program for authors led by best-selling author Shannon Ethridge

Theological terms that describe Kenneth Ortiz:

• Protestant
• Classic Theist
• Inerranist
• Augustinian
• Particular Baptist
• Cautious Continuationist
• Broad Complementarian
• Congregationalist
• Optimistic A-millennial

Statements commended by Kenneth Ortiz:

• Canons of Dort (1618-1619)
• Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689)
• New Hampshire Confession of Faith (1853)
• Abstract of Principles (1858)
• Lausanne Covenant (1974)
• Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (1978)
• Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (1988)
• Bethlehem Eldership Affirmation of Faith (2003)
• Nashville Statement (2017)

In addition to personal friends, parents, and mentors, there have been various personalities (historical and contemporary) that have been very influential on Kenneth’s life, theology, ideology, and missiology. Here’s the list of those personalities (listed in alphabetical order by first name):

• Albert Mohler
• Amy Carmichael
• Augustine of Hippo
• Carl F. H. Henry
• Chuck Colson
• Chuck Smith
• D. A. Carson
• Doug Wilson
• Harold J. Ockenga
• James Dobson
• Jeanne Mayo
• John Calvin
• John MacArthur
• John Piper
• Kenneth Gentry
• Mark Dever
• Millard Erickson
• Norman Geisler
• R. C. Sproul
• Shannon Ethridge
• Thomas Schreiner
• Tim Keller
• William Carey