Pastor Apollo

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.“
— Ephesians 2:1-5 (NIV)

ABOUT APOLLO

Greetings!

My name is Apollo McCullough, and I am excited to introduce myself to you. Born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, I now call Muskegon County home with my wonderful wife, Ashley, and our four incredible children. As avid Kansas City Chiefs fans, we are proud to be part of this community.

As the Lead Pastor of Port City Church McGraft, a vibrant campus of Port City Church, I have the honor of leading a dynamic and growing community of believers in Western Michigan. In just a year, our weekly attendance has grown from 45 to over 300, with more than 130 new decisions for Christ. I am profoundly grateful for the Lord’s work in our midst.

With over six years of pastoral experience, I bring a unique blend of skills and insights to my role. My ministry journey began in Lenexa, KS, and led me to Life.Church, where I served in various capacities. Life.Church is renowned for its innovative use of technology to spread the Gospel, including the widely-used YouVersion Bible app.

My passion is to follow Jesus and help others do the same. I connect deeply with audiences by sharing how the Holy Spirit has redeemed me from a past filled with drugs, drinking, and sin. Through my preaching and teaching, I aim to inspire people to discover their identity and purpose in Christ, experience His freedom and grace, and fully commit to His mission.

I stay disciplined to teaching what is in the text of Scripture. My messages focus on the life-changing love of Jesus, emphasizing the importance of a personal relationship with Him. Through authentic storytelling and practical biblical teachings, I seek to guide individuals towards a deeper faith and understanding of God’s incredible love and mercy.

In addition to my pastoral and teaching roles, I offer transformative leadership training and coaching, rooted in biblical principles and practical application. I also specialize in premarital counseling and officiating weddings. I provide comprehensive, SYMBIS-certified premarital counseling, equipping couples with the tools they need for a successful marriage. My wedding ceremonies are personal, meaningful, and firmly built on Christ, ensuring that each couple’s special day is a beautiful and joyous occasion.

I am available to speak at your event and would be honored to bring a message of hope and transformation to your audience. Whether you need a dynamic speaker, premarital counseling, or a wedding officiant, I am here to serve. Please reach out to me at info@pastorapollo.com to book me for your next event. Let’s inspire and transform lives together through the power and love of Jesus Christ.

ASK APOLLO

Whether you’re looking to book me for an event or simply want to learn more about my message and mission, you’ll find valuable information to guide you.

Why do you enjoy preaching at events?

Man, I absolutely love preaching at events because it’s a chance to connect with people I might never otherwise meet and watch them experience Christ in a way that really transforms their lives. There’s something powerful about those moments when someone hears about Jesus and it just clicks for them. It’s like a spark that can ignite their faith and lead to incredible change.

My passion is to follow Jesus and help others do the same. I connect deeply with audiences by sharing how the Holy Spirit has redeemed me from a past filled with drugs, drinking, and sin. Plus, preaching at events allows me to build incredible relationships with other pastors, leaders, and people throughout the state.

Have you preached at events before? If so, what kind?

Yeah, I’ve preached at quite a few events! I’ve been blessed to share at places like Grace Adventures, Spring Hill, Camp Ao-Wa-Kiya, Pine Ridge Bible Camp, and even one-off events for other churches. Each event is unique and brings its own vibe, which keeps things exciting and fresh.

Besides these events, I also serve as the Lead Pastor of Port City Church McGraft, a campus that is a part of a growing multi-site church. Since I’ve been here in Western Michigan, I’ve been blessed to see our church grow from 45 to over 300 in just a year and a half. Plus, my five years of pastoral experience at Life.Church, where I served as a Youth Pastor, Associate Campus Pastor, and Area Leader, really prepared me to engage and connect with diverse audiences.

What type of energy do you bring to your preaching events?

When I preach, I bring a ton of passion and energy. I want everyone to feel the excitement I have for the Word of God. Why? Because he reached down in the pits of hell to save my soul, and my whole life is now devoted to Him! I make sure to be relatable, so people can see themselves in the message. I’m driven to let the text speak for itself and show how it applies directly to their lives. It’s all about making the Bible come alive for them in a real, practical way.

Tell me a memorable moment about an event you preached at. Any type of moment that impacted you with positivity confirming you knew you were meant to preach.

There was this one time, my very first event, actually. There was a huge snowstorm that caused a bunch of churches to cancel, and honestly, I was super nervous and questioning if this was really what God wanted me to do. But the camp wasn’t canceled, and even though fewer students showed up, about 300 still made it.

Before my first event, I had this heavy question weighing on my heart, to the point of waking up feeling like the Lord was impressing it strongly on me: “What is the greatest kingdom impact I can have through you, Apollo?” During my third sermon on Saturday night, I gave an invitation to accept Christ or recommit their lives to Him, and 72 hands went up. That moment was insane. I was absolutely blown away by how God moved in that room and also in my own heart. Witnessing so many people being transformed from the inside out was an incredible experience. It was in that powerful moment that I knew without a doubt I was meant to dedicate my life to this calling, starting my own ministry to reach even more hearts with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.

You bring a unique set of skills to communicate with diverse audiences. What skills? How do they help you relate to diverse audiences?

I’d say my biggest skills are my passion, relatability, and ability to connect the text to everyday life. I make sure to bring a lot of energy to my preaching, which helps keep people engaged. I strive to be relatable, sharing my own struggles and triumphs to show that I’m just like them. I preach both expository and topical sermons, and I love opening up God’s Word and letting His words heal our hearts, give us hope, convict us, shape us, and guide us.

I’m really focused on letting the Bible speak for itself, making sure people understand how it applies to their own lives. Additionally, as a husband and father of four, I bring insight and knowledge in those areas as well, allowing me to connect with and minister to families effectively. These skills help me connect with a wide range of audiences, making the message of Christ accessible and impactful for everyone. My background at Life.Church, known for its innovative approach to ministry and technology, has equipped me to reach people where they are and bring them closer to Jesus.

How has your life been transformed by Jesus?

My life has been completely transformed by Jesus. I used to carry so much shame from my past, feeling unworthy and stuck in my sins. But when I accepted Jesus, everything changed. I felt the weight of that shame lifted off me, replaced by a sense of redemption and purpose. The blood of Jesus has redeemed me, and I no longer live in the shadow of my past. Now, I live in the light of His grace and love, and it’s that transformation that drives me to share His message with others, especially students. My goal is to communicate God’s Word with passion and zeal, inspiring people to discover their identity and purpose in Christ, experience His freedom and grace, and fully commit to His mission.

What services do you offer?

Speaking at Events

As the Lead Pastor of Port City Church McGraft, I am passionate about sharing the transformative message of Jesus Christ with diverse audiences. Whether you are looking for a dynamic speaker for a camp, retreat, seminar, or special church service, I am here to deliver a message of hope, inspiration, and spiritual growth. My goal is to communicate God’s Word with passion and zeal, inspiring individuals to discover their identity and purpose in Christ, experience His freedom and grace, and fully commit to His mission.

In addition to speaking at events, I am pleased to offer the following services:

Pre-Marital Counseling

Building a strong, Christ-centered marriage starts with a solid foundation. As a SYMBIS (Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts) certified counselor, I provide comprehensive premarital counseling that covers essential topics such as communication, conflict resolution, and financial stewardship. My sessions are designed to be interactive and insightful, equipping couples with the tools they need for a successful marriage. I have conducted dozens of premarital counseling sessions, guiding numerous couples through these vital discussions.

Wedding Officiant

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, and I am honored to play a part in it. With a personal touch, I craft ceremonies that are both meaningful and memorable, firmly built on Christ. Having officiated dozens of weddings, I ensure that each ceremony reflects the couple’s love story and commitment to each other, as well as their faith and values. I work closely with couples to understand their vision for their special day, providing guidance and support to make their wedding a beautiful and joyous occasion centered on the love and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Leadership Development

Effective leadership is essential for navigating the complexities of modern ministry and organizational life. I offer transformative leadership training and coaching, designed to empower individuals and teams to reach their fullest potential. My approach to leadership development is rooted in biblical principles and practical application, ensuring that leaders are equipped to lead with integrity, wisdom, and purpose.

If you are interested in any of these services or would like to book me for your next event, please reach out to me at info@pastorapollo.com. Let’s inspire and transform lives together through the power and love of Jesus Christ.

TESTIMONIALS

Pastor Apollo spoke at our camp for a week, and I could not have asked for more. He hung out with campers to build relationships with them so that his messages had more impact, and he seemed to truly care about the campers and staff. His chapel messages were engaging and scripturally sound. He involved the teens by having them get up to read the scripture passage or pray, asked plenty of questions for the audience to reflect on, and gave opportunities for campers to repeat key words or phrases so they would be able to stay engaged and repeat those words to help them stick. It was clear to me that all of his messages were very well prepared and thought-out. Apollo was, additionally, a professional person to work with in the sense that he was punctual, prepared, and willing to be helpful even in ways beyond normal speaking duties. We are so grateful to have had him as our camp speaker!

We were thrilled to have Pastor Apollo speak at our Winter Teen Retreat! His talks were rooted in scripture and very digestible for the age group he was speaking to. Pastor Apollo has great understanding of how to connect with teens, keeping everyone engaged and interested. His talks were relevant and showcased his understand of todays youth and the problems they are facing. We will certainly have him back again!

It was such a pleasure to work with Apollo! Due to a late speaker cancellation, we had reached out to him with some desperation! He was all for jumping into planning for our retreat and spending time with us on very short notice. Apollo’s intentionality went further than his teachings and into his interactions with the students, going above and beyond to involve himself in other programmed activities so that his relationships with the students would have a greater foundation for impact during his time with them. Each session’s teaching felt individually crafted for the students there, as the retreat we brought Apollo in to speak for was a much smaller number of students than what we’re sure Apollo was used to, yet it did not affect the quality of teaching and attention to detail throughout the weekend. Apollo was intentional with tying his message in with the worship, and providing appropriate times of reflection while offering thought-provoking questions to appropriately challenge the students in their small groups. Apollo’s passion for impacting youth was overwhelmingly apparent throughout the weekend through the way that he interacted with individual students and offered personal, encouraging words to our leaders and staff. Both leaders and students left the teaching times and conversations with Apollo feeling encouraged and rejuvenated.

I have been in pastoral ministry for over 20 years. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend Apollo's church in Muskegon. His passion for God's Word to impact the heart of God's people was deeply encouraging. He navigated the text with skill and care. He applied the Word with clarity and zeal. Excited to see how Apollo's gift of teaching is used in God's Kingdom!

REACH OUT

Get in touch with me! Whether you have questions about my speaking engagements, want to book me for your next event, or simply wish to connect, I’m here to help.