José Calvo is a pastor in Slovakia.
When did you trust Christ?
When I was 15 years old, I attended a Christian youth camp and realised how much God loved me despite my sins and rebellion. At that moment, I decided to trust Jesus' sacrifice and follow His plan for my life. I started serving in the church as an usher and cleaning the church building. Eventually, I began helping the pastor with some of his office work and playing in the worship band.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
When I was 18, I moved from Spain to Slovakia, through a European volunteering program. I helped in the local church and got involved in the youth ministry there. After that, I started to study theology in Slovakia, and as time went by and my knowledge of the language improved, I became more involved in youth leadership and teaching. Both youth leaders in this local church have benefited my development and have been great mentors as I grow in service, faith, and obedience to God's calling.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I think it would be good for me to see how others approach Bible study, different methods or styles that could help me bring a fresh air to younger generations, to whom I am more and more distant. I also want to get a better understanding of the material and content of this Year-Round Mentoring so that I can recommend it to youth and small group leaders in my church as a resource for them to grow. Finally, I feel there is always room to grow for me, especially in my new role as a pastor, and so I want to be better equipped to lead Bible studies in the future.
What is your ministry?
I'm the senior pastor of a small evangelical church in Žilina. We are a multigenerational church firmly focused on evangelistic outreach, primarily to young people through camps and the regular youth group during the week. As a senior pastor, I'm mostly responsible for leading the elder board, planning the teaching, and leading volunteer leaders.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
Before becoming a senior pastor, I was a youth pastor in the same church from 2015-2022, leading a vibrant weekly youth ministry of 50-60 people (50% believers and 50% unbelievers). I also led evangelistic English summer camps in partnership with Josiah Venture from 2015-2023, handing over the leadership in 2024 to a younger generation and moving into more of a mentorship position for the team.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
When I was 18, I moved from Spain to Slovakia, answering God's calling to serve Him. After a year of volunteering, I felt God call me to stay and continue as part of this local church, where I continue to serve. I started studying theology and preparing for full-time ministry. I love seeing people come to see Christ as the Lord of all creation and following Him as His disciples. I would love to be more effective in this service.
