Dave Beckwith is a pastor and conference speaker who presents a clear-cut message from the Word of God to young and old alike.  Since 1970, Dave has been speaking at camps, churches, youth events, schools, and conferences.  When Dave speaks, his enthusiasm for God is contagious.  He communicates with excitement, conviction, and practical application from the Word of God.  From 1987 to 2007, he served as Senior Pastor for Woodbridge Community Church in Irvine, California.  With the completion of the church campus, Dave began a new phase of ministry speaking, writing, and training church leaders.  Currently, he is a Retool Trainer for Converge Worldwide, and pastors churches through transitions.  Most recently, he has served First Baptist Church of La Crescenta and Magnolia Baptist Church of Anaheim, California.  His writing has appeared in Moody Monthly, Marriage Partnership, The Standard, South Dakota Magazine, BGC World, Los Angeles Times, Converge Point, Orange County Register, and he is a contributing writer for the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series.  Past ministry experience, all in California, includes serving as a Youth Pastor of Fillmore First Presbyterian and Santa Paula First Baptist, Sr. Pastor of Yorba Linda Friends Church in Yorba Linda and Bethel Baptist Church in Santa Rosa, planning and leading the early development of Friends Christian School in Orange County, Professor of Biblical Studies at Grace Bible Institute and Graduate School in Long Beach, and Program Director and Conference Speaker with Mt. Gilead Bible Conference Center in Northern California.

            In addition to pastoral and teaching ministries, Dave has a great burden for evangelism and missions.  After the Los Angeles Watts riots of 1965, Dave was involved in developing and directing the outreach of 250 of the Biola students each week into the black community of Watts.  While ministering in the inner city, God was developing his vision for home as well as foreign missions.  Evangelistic ministry and tours to several parts of the world have served to increase this concern for a lost world.  While singing with the Continental Singers in the Far East, he had the opportunity to sing and share Christ in the casualty wards for the American servicemen who were wounded in the Viet Nam War.

            Dave graduated from Biola in 1970 with the B.S. Degree in Business Administration.  Dave served on the student council all his years at Biola and was President of the Student Missionary Union for two years.  He was selected "Mr. Biola" for Homecoming of 1970.  During that same year, his personal testimony appeared in Power Life.  In 1973, he graduated from Talbot Theological Seminary with the M.A. Degree in Christian Education where he served as Student Body Vice President.  Additional graduate studies include the M.A. Degree in Biblical Studies and PhD Degree in Church and Family Ministry.

            His wife, Joanne, is also involved in teaching family living and spiritual growth.  Joanne completed her training as a Registered Nurse at Biola in 1971.  Joanne served as the Director of Women’s Ministries at Woodbridge Community Church from 1987 to 2007.  

            Dave and Joanne were married in 1969 and have two married daughters and 4 grandchildren. 

Selected Speaking Topics
My God!  They Hit Head-On (personal testimony)
Angels Working Overtime (personal testimony)
Where to Find Rest in a Restless World
Rekindling Confidence
A Song for the Storm
Set Free From Perfectionism
Quakes:  Are You Ready for the Big One?
Dinosaurs:  Separating Fact from Fiction
The Secret Power of a Contented Life
Why We Go Through Tough Times
Getting Up When You're Down
Diary of a Discouraged Dad
How to Tell if You're in Love
Single or Married--Which is Better?
Time Out or Burn Out
The Riptide of Depression
The Secret Power of Inadequacy
Discovering Joy in a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Born a Christian or a Born Again Christian?
God is Everywhere . . . Even in Washington, D.C.
    (pictorial tour of God & Bible references in the capitol)
How to Experience Abundant Life
Changing the Channel on Your Mind
Deepening Your Spiritual Roots
Pain is Inevitable, Misery is Optional
Healing for Conflict Fractures
Keys for a Contagious Attitude
Straight Talk Ab     out the High Cost of Casual Sex
How God Provides in Uncertain Times
A Whale of a Story (What Kind of Fish Swallowed Jonah)
What About Faith Healing?
Better Than the Frustrated Life . . . The Exchanged Life
Cream Pies and Other Cravings

Love … It's What Matters Most in Life!
Loving Without Controlling
Loving by What You Say and Don't Say
Loving for a Lifetime
Loving When You Disagree

Lifestyle Freedom (A Biblical approach to the 12 steps from 2 Peter 1)
No More Playing God
Breaking Harmful Patterns
Letting Go to Grow
Releasing Your Past
Confronting Character Defects
Repairing Relationships

Leadership Summit & Training
Daring to Dream Again
Teamwork Amidst Intimidation
The Weeping, Reaping Harvest
Sweet M&M's:  Building Morale & Momentum
Listening to the Saints Sing!  (What the Bible says about music in worship)
Key Plays for a Winning Team
A Bored Meeting or a God Meeting?
Why Board Members Get Frustrated:  Politics and Power Plays
Resolving the Tension:  The Leadership Gift and Team Ministry
Decision Making:  Unanimity or Majority Rules?
How to Become a Team
How to Work Together
How to Make Decisions Together
How to do Effective Problem Solving and Conflict Management
How to Have a Winning Attitude on the Team
How to Discover God’s Direction through Biblical Goal Setting
How to do Biblical Budget Planning
How to Protect Ministry Integrity
How to be Committed to the Team

Building Healthy Families . . . Healing Family Relationships
David's Dysfunctional Family:  A Royal Mess
You Don't Have to be Perfect to be Loved
You Don't Have to Get Walked on to be Loving
Can I Trust God with My Family?
Growing Up Without a Blessing
20/20 Hindsight on the Home

Caring for People & Evangelism
How to Ask Caring Questions
Dialogue:  The Secret for Effective Witnessing
Starbucks Evangelism
Sensing Needs and Evangelism
From Atheist to the New Birth:  Steps in Coming to Christ
How to Be a Contagious Christian
Pressure Tactics and Evangelism
Respect and Evangelism

Christianity and Islam:  A Careful Examination of the Facts
Are the God of Islam and Christianity the Same?
Muhammad and Jesus:  What are the Facts?
Men, Women, and Marriage in Islam and Christianity
Conversion, Commitment and Paradise
The Qur'an and the Bible

At the Crossroad for a Changed Life
The Cross and Healing for Resentments
The Cross and Following Christ
The Cross and Dying to Sin's Control
The Cross and a Changed Life

Set Free From Feelings That Set You Back
God's Healing for Damaged Emotions
God's Power to Release Resentments
God's Grace and Regret-Free Living
God's Plan to Manage Anger
God's Good News for the Discouraged and Depressed
God's Answer for Loneliness
God's Refreshment When Depleted
           
A Powerful Prayer Life for Busy People
Is There a Better Way?
Four-Dimensional Praying
Four Ways God Answers Prayer
Developing a Prayer Pattern for Each Day of the Week
The Big Questions Regarding Prayer

Coming Home to a Covenant Marriage
What is a Covenant Marriage?
Rekindling the "Wow" in Marriage
The Power of Unconditional Love
Listening That Communicates Love
How God Changes a Marriage

Snapshots of the Future
The Most Significant Event of the Century
Alignment of the Nations
The Coming World Leader!
The Day the Dollar Dies
Religion or a Relationship?
Your Room's Ready
The Jews Historically and Prophetically
Why a 1000 Years are Like a Day
Answering Skeptics of the Second Coming
Living Without Fear in a Nuclear Age
See Ya' Here, There, or In the Air
There's a New World Coming

Ordinary You … and What God Can Do!
How to be Ready to be Used by God
120 Ordinary People Who Rocked their World
Moses:  An 80-Year Old, Over-the-Hill, Has Been?
Peter:  An Ordinary Fisherman Who Walked on Water
Gideon: An Ordinary Runt of the Litter
Ordinary Andy

Training Your Child for Life
Teachable Moments in the Home
Shaping the Future One Child at a Time
Shaping the Child One Day at a Time
Preventing Teen Rebellion
Diagnosis of Families in Pain
The Greatest Gift You Can Give Your Child!

Conquering Life's Intimidating Giants
Footprints of Giants That Intimidate
Stepping Over the Giant Discouragement
Slaying the Raging Giant Resentment
Breaking the Giant Stubbornness
Conquering the Red Hot Giant Jealousy
Courage to Conquer the Giant Fear
Slaying the Giant Lust

An Awesome God for Uncertain Times
What Does God Look Like?
Does God Ever Change His Mind?
How Can God Exist in Three Persons?
How to Recover from a Distorted Image of God

Growing in Confidence
Restoring Shattered Confidence
Shaping Your Confidence Value System
Confidence Coaching: How to Cultivate Confidence in Others
Healing Rejection Scars
Exchanging Condemnation for Confidence
Quiet Confidence Without Cockiness
Staying Confident When Life is Crazy