Neil J. Tomba
Neil was born in Maryland and raised in Louisiana. He graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. At LSU he accepted Christ and grew as a Christian. After college, he worked for a year as a production manager of an electronics firm.
He married Vela in 1983 and joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ in 1985. In their seven years of missionary service, the Tomba's primary ministry was to the college campus. Neil served as the area director for a summer campaign in Japan, recruiting over 300 students from the South to help evangelize Japan. Sensing that he needed more training to further his ministry, he enrolled at Dallas Seminary in 1992.
While in Dallas, he worked on staff with the Spiritual Formation Groups at Dallas Seminary's Leadership Center, working with Howard Hendricks and Bill Lawrence for two years. He also worked at Reinhardt Bible Church from 1995-96, primarily in Children's Education, but also as a backup teacher for an adult Sunday School Class. Neil received several awards during his senior year at Dallas Seminary; the President's Award for preaching & pastoral ministry; the J. Elwood Evans award for pastoral ministry; and the highly prized selection as one of four senior preachers. He received a Masters of Theology degree.
Neil joined Northwest Bible Church in 1996 as Minister to Singles. He developed a leadership structure in the Impact Class that resulted in strong ministry, such as the small groups ministry of 70 groups, strong local outreach, and a Missions Strategic Initiative in both Russia and Spain. Neil was appointed by the Elder Board to be an Associate Pastor in October 1999 and became Senior Pastor in 2001.
