Anthony Rice

Anthony Rice pastors GCI churches in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, Louisiana. He and his wife Karen are celebrating 29 years of marriage. They have two children, BJ, age 28, and Miranda who is 22.

Anthony grew up in the South but his teenage years were in California as his father, Richard Rice, worked at WCG headquarters until he retired. One of his early accomplishments was learning to ride a unicycle, and when asked if there is something others may or may not know about him, Anthony said, “I hate the taste of liver no matter how it is prepared.”

After graduating from high school, Anthony went to college where he earned a degree in architecture. “I ran architectural departments for two real-estate development firms in Southern California before being called into vocational ministry in 1990.”

Anthony and Karen moved to Louisiana to serve the Baton Rouge and Lafayette churches. Anthony is among a small number of fulltime GCI pastors who have never been transferred. “I have two phenomenal congregations that are an inspiration to me each and every week!”

Anthony enjoys working with at-risk youth. This work led to one of his most memorable moments as a pastor: “I baptized Ricky Johnson, a young man I met when he was 13. He lived in one of the most dangerous parts of town, was failing in school and had an absentee father. He earned his GED at 16 and now works for a company that has sent him all over the world. He just bought his first house at age 19!”

Anthony, who has been a part of GCI most of his life, enjoys being part of our denomination. “Our denominational leadership has persevered through hardship and adversity and I am proud of the journey God has led us on.” Anthony mentions his district pastor, Mike Horchak, “who has been a friend and a great inspiration. Also I have to include Joe Tkach in this because I knew Joe long before he was our president. Joe and Tammy are still the same humble, down-to-earth friends that I knew when our kids were growing up.”

Anthony says his passion is, “Seeing Jesus at work in me in spite of all my short-comings.”

When asked when he feels closest to God, Anthony said, “I was privileged to be introduced to a Prison Ministry named Kairos about 10 years ago. A team of us spent 3-1/2 days with 42 inmates on the inside of a maximum security penitentiary. Most of the prisoners are in for life and have little or no relationship with God. How Jesus transforms lives like theirs is nothing short of a miracle. Such experiences help me to understand why Jesus said ‘When I was in prison…’”