Jonathan Celoria has been involved in church ministry since 1985 when God directed his parents to begin an itinerate family ministry. He has since led in revival meetings, Bible conferences and retreats across the country and served in four different churches, pastoring two of them. Jonathan is a graduate of William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and has earned two Master’s degrees, one in philosophy and the other in theology.

Jonathan has lived in Surprise since September 2003 and has been serving at Palm Vista as Lead Pastor since April 2009. He grew up in Mississippi, where he met his wife, Wendy, in his senior year of college. They have two sons, Landon and Nathan.

Note from Jonathan:

“My heart’s desire is to see people worship God and grow in their faith in Him. It was these two things that turned my life around my senior year of high school. After growing up in the church, I encountered God for myself, and I have never been the same. Since that time, my goal has been to lead others into the same life-changing encounter that transformed my life. My hope is that in your life God will be real and active. He cares for you so much. I would love nothing more than to help you know Him more.”

-Jonathan

jceloria@palmvista.com
Click HERE to listen to Pastor Jonathan's most recent sermons.
Jonathan's Ministry Vision

My call is that of a pastor-teacher. A pastor wears many hats as an elder, overseer, and shepherd of the church. Yet as a pastor God has called me to four specific pursuits.
  • Proclaiming the word of God faithfully and accurately in both public and private settings and incorporating it into all aspects of church life (2 Timothy 4:1-2)
  • Praying for and with other people consistently and conscientiously and for the vision God has for His church (Acts 6:1-4)
  • Preparing the saints for works of ministry by inspiring, mobilizing, equipping, empowering, and overseeing them (Ephesians 4:11-13)
  • Protecting the flock of God from the power of the devil, the influences of the world, and the weakness of the flesh (Acts 20:28-31)
By devoting myself to these pursuits, my goal is to lead the church to worship the true and living God, live in true fellowship with one another, and reach our world with the gospel of Christ.



Welcome to Palm Vista Southern Baptist Church of Surprise, Arizona. we are a family oriented, multi-generational church with people from all walks of life coming together to worship Christ, give glory to God, and study His word as given to us through the Bible.