Chris Soto

City View Church

Contact: 8404 Phyllis Pl., San Diego 858-560-1870 www.cityviewsd.com

Membership: Four 10:30 a.m. Sunday worship services: English, 160; Ethiopian, 35; Swahili, 35; Spanish, 30

Pastor: Chris Soto 

Age: 53

Born: San Francisco

Formation: Bethany University, Santa Cruz 

Years Ordained: 30

San Diego Reader: What is your favorite subject on which to preach?

Pastor Chris Soto: Christ crucified. The Apostle Paul says to live is Christ and to die is gain. I didn’t grow up in a church background but I had a personal experience with Jesus in junior high school. My spiritual journey began when I walked to a Catholic church named Holy Spirit Catholic Church. About two years later, someone shared the gospel with me, and I accepted Christ as my lord and savior. The first time I responded to a message on a Sunday morning in a church and went to the altar — where I experienced repentance, a Godly sorrow, and a real sense of remorse for my sins — my life was completely, radically changed. Scripture came alive in me: to live is Christ and to die is gain. The crucifixion of Christ was the pivotal moment for me. It wasn’t a prayer that saved me; it wasn’t anything I could do to earn God’s favor. It was Christ crucified.

SDR: What is the mission of your church?

PS: To reach people, to build people, and to influence the world. We take time out of the calendar year to reach out to our community. For example, on August 25 we are collecting socks and pajamas for the young patients at a local children’s hospital. We build people through discipleship, being intentional about classes that are going to build a spiritual foundation and help people disciple other people, which is how we influence the world. We see so many people in our church go into ministry locally or around the globe. Any location is a ministry because you’re sharing Christ no matter where you are. We have someone from our church going to Macedonia, for example.

SDR: Why Assemblies of God?

PS: The Assemblies of God have a desire for a Biblical foundation with core truths that are true to the Bible.

SDR: What book has had the greatest influence on your ministry?

PS: Building Below the Waterline: Shoring up the Foundations of Leadership by Gordon MacDonald helps develop one as a person of God, with Godly character and integrity in sustaining one’s walk with God.

SDR: Where do you go when you die?

PS: There is a heaven and there is a hell. God is clear about repentance of sin and the forgiveness of Christ. It is only by his sacrifice that we are redeemed and reconciled back to the Father. Regarding hell, Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Christ from the dead, you will be saved. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord is saved. God’s love and compassion for us shows he cares for us. His thought for us is that none should perish. So, people have the opportunity to make that decision to accept Christ, however that plays out in one’s life. But how God relates to someone in his lifetime is not something I can know. I’m not the judge. At the same time, there is a judgment which will determine whether one goes to heaven or hell. Jesus is a loving judge that cares for you, who made the sacrifice and paid for your sins. He is deeply compassionate, but he also judges sin.