Also during that pivotal age, Rucker’s mother suffered a major medical crisis. He was fearful that he might lose her and began to fast and pray for her healing. “As I was praying, I heard the Lord say, ‘Preach my word,'” recounts Arthur. That was the beginning of his preaching ministry. Now quite active in his church, he became the choir director and began connecting with male mentors at his church (including his Bishop and Deacons) as he learned what a real man was. He observed how a two-parent household functioned (through the example of families within his church) and learned about healthy interactions between men and women, something he hadn’t witnessed in his own home.
The experienced served as a training ground for his destined meeting with the woman who would later become his bride, Pamela. The two wed in 1995 and moved to Philadelphia. It was not long after they were wed that he would pursue his education in Information Technology and start a software development firm with his wife. While in Philadelphia, he was educated in ministry at the Center for Urban Theological Studies and was trained in developing effective urban ministries. Rucker was ordained in 2004 by Bishop George C. Searight of Abundant Life Family Worship Church in New Brunswick, NJ and Bishop Donald Hilliard of Cathedral International in Perth Amboy, NJ.
Arthur had long realized that he was called not only to preach, but to pastor, too. The year before his ordination, he launched a successful parachurch ministry that was attended by people of diverse age, educational, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. People would often travel from Delaware to Pennsylvania to hear his unique style of delivery, remarking that they “always felt like they directly heard from God” when attending there.
Required to relocate due to a job transfer, Rucker had the opportunity to select one of several cities. Feeling the call of God to relocate to Houston, Texas, he, Pamela and their three children, Montique, Marquis and Morgan, pulled up stakes from Philadelphia and moved to the south in the fall of 2005. Currently, he’s preparing to launch a new ministry in Houston called Christ’s Church.
“From what I have seen, people are not turned off by Christ or His message, but they are turned off by the rigidity of the church,‛’ shares Rucker. “My vision is to present Christ just as He is. Also, we want to help people find their God-given purpose and His specific plan for their lives so that they can be what they’ve been called to be in the earth,” says Rucker. Because of his upbringing, Pastor Rucker has a special place in his heart for the ministry of families and men. And in his own family, specifically, Pamela, or Lady Rucker, as she is known, is his partner in ministry. “The Bible says that when a man finds a wife, he finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord,” says Rucker. “I can look at my life and see that God’s favor was ramped up when I connected with her.”
Seen as “The New Face of Ministry,” Rucker feels that God wants to do something special in today’s church. “I sense that God wants to do something fresh,” says the preacher. “I sense in my spirit that the Lord wants to tweak the Church so that it can become the glorious Church that He’s coming back for.” Part of that “tweaking” process includes outreach and touching those who have physical needs. Through his “Arms of Love” campaign, Pastor Rucker is reaching out to local youth groups and facilities to provide for the less fortunate during the holidays.
For Pastor Rucker, his life is simply a blessing. He says, “My life story really signifies transformation. When you look at what I have been through and what I have come from, my life really speaks to transformation. I own things that I don’t deserve and work in positions I don’t qualify for,” he explains. “In my secular job, I am working for one of the fastest growing companies in Houston. My wife and I owned a multi-million dollar IT company. So where you finish is not determined by where you start. Mine is a story of triumph. I epitomize what God can do with nothing and I want the world to know that He can do that for anyone.”
