July 02, 2026 •

Raising Lifelong Believers: Helping Kids Keep the Faith

Good Day Orlando Xtra" interviewed Dr. Hunter about the next generation keeping The Faith. "We are seeing lots of young people coming back partially because they want something deep and meaningful in their life and partially because the culture right now is so adversarial. Everybody is at war with one another and nobody wants to live like that. ... We're made for relationships. In our faith we're not just going for a religion we're going for a relationship with God."

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About Joel C. Hunter

Dr. Joel C. Hunter is the Pastor of Community Benefit at Action Church, a multi-site congregation based in Winter Park and his one-minute daily devotionals can be heard worldwide on Z88 radio. He is the Chairman of the Central Florida Pledge campaign; a call to action for residents of Central Florida who are tired of hateful discourse and want to create a safe and inclusive community for all. The pledge asks residents to commit to treating all people with kindness and respect, especially those with whom they disagree. To learn more: https://www.centralfloridapledge.com/

He is a nationally and internationally known advocate for the poor, the marginalized, and those dealing with disabilities. He served a three-year term as the Chairman of Central Florida’s Commission on Homelessness. And, after 32 years as the senior pastor of Longwood, Florida’s Northland Church’s congregation of 20,000, he spent five years leading a non-profit in networking with churches and local charities to locate available resources and benefit the struggling in our community. Orlando Magazine highlighted his efforts naming him as the #1 most powerful voice for philanthropy and community engagement. And listed him among “Orlando’s 50 Most Powerful” six years in a row.

Approaching today’s challenges in a biblical and balanced manner, Dr. Hunter is neither partisan nor politically oriented, but often relates to public officials in a pastoral role; he served as a spiritual advisor to President Obama during his eight years in office.

Dr. Hunter has served in leadership roles of the World Evangelical Alliance, serving more than 600 million evangelicals, and the National Association of Evangelicals, serving more than 40 denominations and thousands of churches.

Married in 1972 to his wife, Becky, he is the father of three sons, grandfather of seven, and great-grandfather of two.

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UPCOMING - AND YOU ARE INVITED!

Sunday, July 5 at 10 AM - Dr. Hunter will be preaching at Grace Convenant Presbyterian Church (1655 Peel Avenue, Orlando, FL 32806)

Faith in the Public Square Video Series

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Raising Lifelong Believers: Helping Kids Keep the Faith

About Joel C. Hunter

Faith in the Public Square Video Series

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