Originally published in The Christian Post
Locals affectionately call him “The Ruffneck Pastor” but Bahamian preacher Dave Burrows, who was recently named to take over as leader of the Bahamas Faith Ministries formerly led by prominent evangelical pastor Myles Munroe, knows he has some big shoes to fill.
Burrows was named as the new senior pastor of Munroe’s Bahamas Faith Ministries on Sunday, as well as chairman of the board of governors exactly one week after Munroe, his wife, Ruth, and seven others were killed in a tragic jet crash in Freeport, Grand Bahama, on Nov. 9.
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“We will miss him, but as we miss him and the others we will not miss the mission. So my assignment is to carry on the vision,” Burrows promised in an address to the grieving church yet to lay their former leader to rest Sunday.
“That’s what Munroe needs me to do, so that’s what I’m gonna do,” he added.
The Christian Post reached out to Burrows’ ministry for further comment on his appointment Tuesday but he was unavailable at the time of this publication.
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A profile on his website points to his troubled upbringing in the streets of Nassau, Bahamas, where he spent his teenage years in rebellion dabbling in drugs and criminal behavior. He eventually turned his life around with the help of his brother-in-law, pastor Robyn Gool.
After becoming a Christian he attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and became involved in youth ministry, which has become a big part of his life’s work.
“A lifetime youth and family specialist and one of the foremost authorities in the world on youth and youth ministry development, Burrows has also served on three occasions as chairman of the Bahamas National Youth Advisory counsel, a group which advises the Bahamas government on youth matters,” explains the profile.
Burrows, who has strong connections with several U.S. Christian ministries, is also a businessman and has two children with his wife, Angela.
When asked in a ZNS Network interview how his former mentor would feel about him taking over his church, Burrows said: “He would be saying, ‘I’m proud of you,’ because that’s one of the things he always said to me.”
“Whenever he came home off a trip many times, people and places where he would go, they would say, ‘Dave Burrows was just here,’ and then he would tell me ‘man, I’m so proud of you. Everybody talks about you,'” said Burrows.
Munroe and his wife will be remembered at a national memorial planned for Wednesday, December 3 at the 15 000-seat Thomas Robinson Stadium in the Bahamas. The church will hold an official funeral service for the couple on Thursday, December 4 at the Bahamas Faith Ministries International Diplomat Center on Carmichael Road in Nassau, Bahamas.
