As he approached high school graduation, Brad W. Kesler applied to a university in his home state of Alaska, as well as Oregon State University (OSU).

Kesler preferred Oregon State, but without financial assistance, he couldn’t afford the out-of-state tuition cost.

When he received a letter awarding him a four-year scholarship at OSU, Kesler was thrilled. However, a second letter the following day said his scholarship application request was denied.

A phone call to OSU clarified the situation. Kesler’s submission had been misplaced in the stack of accepted applicants. Nevertheless, the university owned up to its mistake and granted the scholarship funds.

That outcome, which Kesler sees as providential, changed the trajectory of his life in multiple ways.

“At Oregon State, I got involved in Chi Alpha, was baptized in the Holy Spirit, received a call to ministry, and met my wife, Susan,” Kesler says.

Kesler grew up in a godly home, attending Sitka Assembly of God. He participated in AG ministries, such as Royal Rangers, throughout his childhood and youth.

During his senior year as a business student at Oregon State, Kesler sensed a call to vocational ministry. That same year, he married Susan, who grew up attending Lincoln City Assembly of God in Oregon.

Before their wedding, Susan told Kesler she never wanted to live in the frigid climate of Alaska.

Susan had a change of heart, however, after the pastor at Sitka AG asked Kesler to apply for the church’s open youth pastorate. Kesler ultimately accepted the position, and the couple remained in Sitka for five years.

After his ordination, Kesler served four years as lead pastor of Evangel Assembly of God in Juneau.

Kesler then enrolled at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri, to pursue a Master of Divinity degree. He and Susan relocated to Missouri with their two sons and daughter.

“Brad has demonstrated exceptional integrity and meticulous attention to detail throughout his service at the local, district, and national levels." —Doug Clay

Although Kesler expected a return to pastoring in his native state, then-Alaska Ministry Network Superintendent Bill Welch asked him to become the network’s business administrator. Kesler held that position from 2008–24, simultaneously serving as network secretary for the last nine years of his tenure.

In 2024, Kesler returned to Springfield to fill the newly created role of assistant to General Secretary Donna L. Barrett. He assisted Barrett in disciplinary issues, litigation procedures such as depositions, and training district/network officers.

“It brings me great joy to steward the process of seeing ministers obtain credentials,” Kesler says.

On Jan. 1, Kesler became the 12th general secretary of the Assemblies of God. The AG Executive Presbytery elected Kesler to the post in November, after Barrett announced her plan to retire.

Barrett notes that Kesler took the initiative to become a registered parliamentarian, an important certification for the general secretary’s role in business sessions at the biennial General Council.

“Brad has a keen interest in the administrative specialization this position requires, from bylaws to resolutions to parliamentary procedures,” says Barrett, who served as general secretary for seven years. “Brad is not only gifted in the specialization required in this role, but he has long-standing friendships with district secretary-treasurers from his days as their colleague.”

Kesler recently authored Trusted with Treasure: A Handbook on Ethics in Ministry, forthcoming in February from Gospel Publishing House.

Assemblies of God General Superintendent Doug Clay says the biblical principles and practical guidelines Kesler offers can help ministers live above reproach.

“This book is not about restricting ministerial leaders, but about empowering them to serve with greater effectiveness and integrity,” Clay says.

Trusted with Treasure addresses such varied subjects as gambling, artificial intelligence, emotional boundaries for ministers, and spiritual abuse.

“I really have a heart to see ministers finish well,” Kesler says. “I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ deserves a minister who is ethical.”

Kesler knows the importance of ensuring ministers are biblically qualified and morally upright. He is invested in trying to help church leaders stay above reproach as they fulfill their ministry duties.

“We’ve been entrusted with the most important cargo imaginable: the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Kesler says. “We want to help ministers avoid shipwrecking on hidden rocks that present dangers. If they are ethically shipwrecked, it hurts the church and whatever ministry they are leading. It can take decades to recover.”

Nautical imagery comes naturally for Kesler. As a teenager, Kesler spent summers helping his father, Wes, fish commercially for salmon. A widower, Wes still lives in Sitka.

The Keslers’ adult children all live in Alaska as well. Jordan, a certified public accountant, conducts audits throughout southeastern Alaska and attends Juneau Christian Center, an AG church. Judah, an ordained AG minister, is campus pastor at MCA Church (AG) in Anchorage. Judah and his wife, Danee, have three children. Bethany, a recent Evangel University graduate and licensed AG minister, is office administrator at MCA Church. 

“The general secretary helps support our shared vision to see a healthy church in every community, marked by spiritual and numerical growth,” Kesler says. “Our office works with our 66 districts and networks in credentialing ministers and chartering churches to accomplish that goal.”

Clay says he is grateful for Kesler’s election.

“Brad has demonstrated exceptional integrity and meticulous attention to detail throughout his service at the local, district, and national levels,” Clay says. “His deep humility and genuine passion for serving others distinguish him as a leader.”