Meet Pastor Karge

Thanks for the honor to be of service to you and the love of your life!

I have the privilege to do anywhere from 30-50 weddings per year , and I absolutely love my profession.

In the early 90’s we started going to and doing more weddings (and funerals) as a part of a regional ministry that I was involved in founding. While attending ceremonies where the same messages are preached time after time with only the names changed, my passion for personal attention was kindled more and more.

As I gathered experience in performing weddings (and funerals) I became increasingly convinced that these two ceremonies are the most important passages in a person life and they need to be celebrated with excellence, with professionalism, and with personal attention. Now I have the privilege to share in your greatest celebration on this earth and it will exciting and full of love and life.

I grew up in Eastern Iowa (Morley, Iowa) and attended Anamosa Community Schools. I was involved primarily in wrestling, band (tuba/trombone/baritone) and served all four years of high school as President or Vice-President of my class.

From 1975-1979 I attended Drake University and studied Political Science and Public Administration. During the 80’s and 90’s I was involved in local and long distance transportation businesses and started Team316 Ministries in the early 90’s, before going into more fulltime ministry at the turn of the century.

I have had the privilege to serve at Grace Church of Des Moines, Boone Cornerstone Alliance of Boone, Iowa and to Pastor Boone Biblical Church and the Little Church we started from the ground up in Woodward, Iowa, Victory Promise Church.

Victory Promise is a small church of believers that are committed to growing and serving God with diligence and integrity. From 2003 to 2007 I also had the privilege to serve as Mayor of Woodward, Iowa and continue to serve on the Board for the A2W Trail from Ankeny to Woodward and beyond.

I have been married for over 20 years to my precious and committed wife Jody. We have two sons, Kristofer and Daniel who are married to the world’s greatest daughter-in-laws Mel and Sara. Coleton is our only grandson and the recipient of all of our spoiling.

We now live on a acreage just North of Dallas Center, and enjoy our Dog Sadie, our cats/Moses, Alex and Tiffler, raising chickens and some livestock, vegetables and fruits, smelling the country and watching the sun set.

I love to race stock cars, play piano, preach, read and work. I have had the privilege to travel to over 30 foreign countries and every state in the United States (except Alaska). God has richly blessed me with His salvation, His Grace, and His provision.

Our Beliefs:
As wedding officiants and coordinators it is important to tell you what we believe about “God” and “religion”. I am a “Christian” and believe in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a follower of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Bible.

Regardless of a couple’s individual beliefs, I have found that there is much that we can agree on about love, romance and the covenant commitment of marriage,………and that will be the focus of your wedding service. The purpose of your wedding ceremony is to honor your love and to bear public witness of your commitment to each other, and that is the primary focus of our services. We do not use your ceremony to “preach” to your guests, but rather to celebrate your love and God’s gift of marriage.

Although I do not impose my religious beliefs during a wedding ceremony, I will not include any religious beliefs in the ceremony that conflict with my own convictions. We do not do short notice “civil” ceremonies. We only perform legal wedding ceremonies between a man and a woman. We do not perform same sex “commitment” ceremonies, “arranged” marriages, or any ceremony that is not recognized as legal in the State of Iowa.

My religious convictions are based on traditional and historical orthodox interpretations of the Bible, as the inerrant Word of God. I believe that Jesus Christ was and is the only Son of God. He proved that by coming to this earth in the flesh (John 1:14), and through His ministry, His physical death, and His resurrection! He is now in heaven and seated at the right hand of the Father. All of mankind lives only one life and after that will be judged by Christ Jesus (Hebrews 9:27). Every man and woman will be judged on the basis of what they did with God’s Son, Jesus. No one will be admitted into heaven, except by Him (Acts 4:12). Heaven is place reserved for those who trust in Christ Jesus alone to forgive them of their sins. For those that have accepted Him as their personal savior on the basis of his substitutional sacrifice He made for us on the Cross, Heaven will be their home! And for those who have rejected Christ, they will be judged on the basis of their works, good and bad, which all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) resulting in condemnation. In Christ, there is no condemnation (Romans 5:8).

While we believe that faith and God – the creator of marriage – are essential parts of a wedding ceremony and moreover the marriage... our focus is not upon religion, but upon relationships. Our passion is to celebrate personal relationships in a way that honors God and respects your entire family, generations past (great grandparents, grandparents, parents) and generations future... forever!

Pastor Joseph R. Karge, Jr.
Pastor/Founder Forever Ministries/Victory Promise Church

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