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 Mallorca, Spain, to Žilina, 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?
The Forum has been a great blessing and encouragement every year that I have been able to attend. I want to bring new resources and ideas to our local ministry that will help us be more fruitful in making disciples. Personally, I want to be encouraged and equipped for my personal life and devotion, for my family and for my ministry. But I'm also glad that through the networking opportunities (both formal and informal), there is something that I can give to others from what God has blessed me, either through experiences or by helping people connect.
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% of which were believers and 50% were 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.
