Eric J. Bargerhuff, Ph.D.
Senior Pastor and Elder

Eric joined the staff of Clearwater Community Church in 2005 and serves in the role of our Senior Pastor. He and his wife Gina have been married for 15 years and are the proud parents of two very active boys. They currently live in Palm Harbor, Florida.

Eric previously served in churches in Ohio and Illinois. He was called to the ministry in 1990 and ordained in May 1996. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from Ashland University in Ohio, as well as a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in Biblical and Systematic theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is also the author of two books, the first entitled Love that Rescues: God's Fatherly Love in the Practice of Church Discipline published by Wipf and Stock publishers, and the second book entitled, The Most Misused Verses in the Bible: Surprising Ways God's Word is Misunderstood, to be published by Bethany House Publishers (Baker Books) in January 2012.

Eric is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and a Fellow in the Society for the Advancement of Ecclesial Theology. His passions besides preaching and teaching include writing, grief ministry, and counseling. He is a big fan of many sports teams, including the Chicago Cubs, Dallas Cowboys, and Indiana University Men's Basketball. He even had a stint as a Division III men's assistant basketball coach in the mid '90's at a Christian college in Illinois.

Growing up in rural Indiana, Eric naturally loves the outside, including fishing and hunting and walking through the woods up north in the Fall. You will often catch him singing and has been known to break out into a hymn during the middle of a sermon from time to time.