Miami Voice

When Kevin Fischer graduated from Northwestern College in 1985, the Wisconsin native wanted two things: to make a positive difference and to live in a warmer climate. 

He seemed to check both boxes when he got a job as a computer teacher at an urban Miami junior high school.

God, though, had bigger plans. Fischer and his wife, Debbie (Church ’86), had been one of the first families to join the Miami Vineyard Community Church. When their pastor announced he was leaving, he asked Fischer to be his replacement. Fischer’s instinct was clear.

“I didn’t want to do it,” he says. “But then I prayed, and God spoke in powerful, supernatural ways.”

Fischer is now celebrating 30 years as lead pastor of the church, where Debbie serves as production pastor. Since then, the church has grown from 200 members to 5,000.

Fischer is especially pleased that the church is multicultural, just like Miami. He said that’s the result of intentional steps, like integrating gospel music and offering Spanish translation at services. But those steps only work, he says, because they are motivated by a desire to help people see God’s plan for them.

“He loves you,” Fischer says. “He cares about you. He wants to know you.”