Pastor Tom

• Tom Petro was born into a Christian home in Flint, Michigan. Attending church since childhood, he was saved at a young age at North Baptist Church as a result of praying parents and the preaching of Pastor Cedric Sears.

• Anticipating a career as an accountant, he enrolled at Cedarville College in Ohio; but while attending revival meetings on the campus during the week prior to the start of his freshman year, the Lord called him to the ministry.

• After one year at Cedarville, he transferred to Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, Iowa, where his former pastor, Dr. Gordon Shipp, had recently begun serving as president. While at Faith, Tom met his future wife, Brenda Fincham; on August 10, 1985, the two were married at Brenda's home church: Victory Baptist in Marysville, Kansas.

• Pastor Tom graduated from FBBC in 1986 with a B.A. in Pastoral Studies. The following year, he attended the seminary at Faith, taking classes in the Master of Arts program there. In September of 1987, he was invited to candidate for the office of pastor at Open Door Baptist Church; the church called him, and Pastor Tom and Brenda began their ministry there on November 8, 1987. They love the ministry, as well as the Prescott Valley area, and are grateful to the Lord for a loving and faithful church family.

• Pastor Tom & Brenda have 3 adult children. As of 2020, their eldest, Tim, is a Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy; he lives in Oak Harbor, WA, with his wife, Monica, and their two sons: Clark (born in 2013) and Calvin (born in 2017); Rachel is a Law School student at American University in Washington, DC; and Ben is an Airman in the US Air Force, currently stationed in England.