Erich P. McCandless, PhD

Erich P. McCandless, PhD

Pastor Erich McCandless was born in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Growing up on a rural property, Pastor was a country boy without any regular church attendance. In July of 1982 the Lord arranged him to spend the summer working for a camp in the Rocky Mountains. It was there he heard the Gospel and came under deep conviction to repent and by faith receive Christ as his Lord and Saviour. Of course, he did not know these fancy words at the time, but he had zero doubt about the need to surrender his will to Christ and trust Him implicitly.

Immediately after receiving Christ, Pastor McCandless felt the deep urge to witness about the new life that he had found. After five years searching for a home to grow his faith, the Lord led him to a Baptist church were he was baptized in 1987. With his pastor’s leadership, he made plans for the ministry and has never turned back.

Out of that call to the ministry, the Lord led Pastor McCandless to a young lady with a similar heart for God. The McCandlesses (Pastor & Mrs. McC.) were married in June of 1990 and have been blessed with five children. Beginning in 1991, they have served under the Empire Baptist Temple as everything from a student to the pastor.

Along that wonderful journey the Lord allowed the McCandlesses to represent EBT as missionaries overseas. After nearly ten years overseas, the Lord lead the McCandlesses back to EBT to pastor the church he has been a member of since 1991 and where his father-in-law, Dr. Ron Tottingham pastored, for 33 years. In addition to maintaining a K-12 Christian academy, EBT operates the Great Plains Baptist Divinity School, where men and women are trained for the work of the Lord. Graduates all over the world are testimony to God’s work at EBT. God has greatly blessed the McCandlesses to oversee this vital ministry.

Pastor McCandless holds a Doctorate of Philosophy degree in Religious Sociology as well as having been honored with several community and educational honors, including the honorary Doctorate of Divinity. He spent nearly a decade as an Army Chaplain (USAR & SDARNG), as well as being a volunteer Chaplain for the Sioux Falls MEPS, the Police Department (SFPD), and Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).

The McCandlesses love each of the members God has set in the body of EBT. Should you be reading this biography, we as a church know that Pastor would boldly invite you to come to know his Lord and then join all of us in a life-journey of growing together as a local church.