Meet Wes Olds
Wes Olds is the Lead Pastor of Grace Church, a multi-site congregation with three locations in Southwest Florida. He is the author of Confronting the Thief Within and co-author of the study series and book A Grace-Full Life. Through his writing and ministry, Wes helps people reclaim their identity as a Child of God, Person of Worth (COGPOW) and experience healing from shame, striving, burnout, and people-pleasing through the grace of Christ.
A graduate of the University of Kentucky and Asbury Theological Seminary, Wes has served as a coach with Spiritual Leadership Incorporated (SLI) and as a board member of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. He is a recipient of the Lilly Foundation Award for Clergy Renewal and has served on a variety of leadership boards and ministry teams in Kentucky and Florida.
Prior to coming to Grace Church, Wes planted The Rock-La Roca United Methodist Church, a multicultural urban congregation in Lexington, Kentucky. During that season, he also co-founded Lexington’s chapter of Room in the Inn, a city-wide ministry providing hospitality and shelter for homeless men. Earlier in ministry, Wes served as a youth pastor at three United Methodist churches, taught at Asbury University, and wrote curriculum and resources for Group Publishing and United Methodist Communications.
In Confronting the Thief Within, Wes shares with courageous vulnerability how God healed him from people-pleasing, anger, breakdown, and burnout. Blending personal story, biblical insight, psychology, and practical tools, the book invites readers to confront the “inner thief” of fear, shame, and insecurity that keeps them from living in freedom, peace, and joy. His message centers on the transforming truth that healing begins when we stop striving to earn God’s love and begin living from our identity as deeply loved children of God.
Wes is married to Becky, and they have one adult son named Caleb. He loves music, enjoys fishing, sports, and traveling to historical sites where he actually stops to read the plaques.
Meet Bonnie Crandall
Bonnie Crandall is a Licensed Clinical Counselor. She worked primarily with educators, doctors, and clergy. She is also an impactful retreat leader and speaker. Bonnie created a new counseling approach to self-imaging and wholeness she calls COGPOW. It stands for "Child of God Person of Worth."