> about the pastor...

Dr. Vivian C. West has been Pastor of Church On The Move for three years. The church was formerly known as the Prayer Mission Church where she served as Assistant Pastor under the leadership of the late Pastor Marguerite Stephens.

She is a retired Social Worker and Substance Abuse Counselor who worked in the social services field at Caregivers Organization for 25 years. As a supervisor of the Homeless program for Caregivers, Pastor West managed contracts for the Family Independence (FIA), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), City of Detroit, and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA).

Pastor West is a native of Pensacola, Florida who has been preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ for over 25 years. Her ministry began in her home holding prayer meetings and bible study. The ministry grew out of the overflow in her home. The group began their first church meeting at Faith Refuge Church, (Pastor, Vivian Wade). She also taught the children and young people’s Sunday school class at her home church, the Prayer Mission. Pastor West was ordained and licensed as a minister of the gospel by Evangelist R.W. Shambach. She has traveled to almost all of the fifty states, including the countries of West Germany and Canada. In addition to her teaching and preaching, she also did a radio broadcast out of West Virginia for three years.

In 1998, Pastor West was called to be Assistant Pastor at the Prayer Mission Church. She served faithfully under Pastor Stephens.

“It’s My Time, saith the Lord”, this is the word that the Lord spoke to Pastor West in 1999. This word was given to her in preparation for the ministry that God would entrust to her.

In February of 2000, Pastor Stephens went home to be with the Lord, and the mantle was given to Dr. Vivian C. West. She was installed as pastor in June 2000 by Bishop Corletta Harris Vaughn.

Pastor West understands the call of God on her life and her role as Pastor. She is uniquely qualified and well prepared to assume the role of pastor. Her engaging personality, joy-filled spirit, work experience, and calm demeanor make her well–suited to meet the challenge of being shepherd to a diverse congregation of believers.

God has given Pastor West a unique vision and divine ministry call to build up the body of Christ, which is the church, locally and universally. Her call is that of an Apostolic Pastor, who has been given the charge to nurture, train, equip, empower, and make disciples of believers, so that they will be able to do the work of ministry, which is serving God’s people.

Her mandate from God was taken from Jeremiah 3:15 “And I will give you pastors according to my own heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.”

She believes the Church is the vehicle and the authority that God has established on this Earth to serve as the catalyst for empowering people so that they will be able to utilize their God-given talents and abilities to overcome any obstacle in their life to live victorious.

She eagerly and enthusiastically accepts the charge that God has set before her to teach and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.