One of my mentors passed away on Monday, February 16, 2026. Alan Balatbat, pastor of Watermark Fellowship Church in Chino, was used by God to guide and grow me at two very crucial points of my life.

Here’s what the bio on his church’s website said:

Alan Balatbat has been preaching since 1997 and has been in pastoral ministry for over 26 years in the greater Los Angeles area. He studied at Master’s College and Seminary and is currently attending Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Pastor Alan has served as Pastor/Elder of Watermark Fellowship Church in Chino, CA since 2010. He and his wife, Olivia, have been married since 2001 and are the proud parents of three children: Caleb, Chloe and Natalie.

My First Mentor

Alan Balatbat was the leader for the Jr. High students from 6th to 8th grade at Christian Fellowship Bible Church (CFBC) in the early 90s. So for about 3 years he was the one teaching us the Bible weekly in our Friday night Bible study. He modeled expository preaching for me. He called me up to lead as a student leader. He even encouraged me to teach the Bible and disciple others. I’ve always had a sense of responsibility to try to disciple or help others grow spiritually because of these days. Alan was the first leader to personally invest in me, encourage me, and hold me to a higher standard than the other kids. When he left CFBC toward the end of my junior high days I felt the absence of his presence while at the same time I was set up to keep learning Jesus and leading others in high school.

Los Angeles or New York?

I was out of touch with Alan for many years. When I came back from Capitol Hill Baptist Church in the summer of 2008 to pastor a church, I didn’t know where I was going to go. Bellwood Baptist Church in Bellflower (a church planted by Bellflower Baptist Church in 1957) was looking for a pastor and they were interested in me but were not in a position to make a decision soon enough. Glendale Baptist Church in Queens New York had voted to call me as their pastor. My wife and I could not get on the same page to go out there. We had 2 weeks to make a decision. I asked for a one week extension and prayed, “Lord, if you don’t open a door this week in Los Angeles we’re going to take it that you’re leading us to move to Glendale Baptist Church in Queens.”

That week Alan called me out of nowhere. I hadn’t heard from him for a while. He said, “We got you.” He told me he would get me funding through the Southern Baptists to plant a church in Los Angeles and that his church, Cornerstone Bible Church, would be our sponsoring church. What a blessing that was! That changed our life and family trajectory from east coast to staying on the west coast. We planted CrossView Church LA in August of that year and after teaching the church on congregationalism and eldership the church called me to pastor them. Alan was present at my installation/ordination when CrossView Church and I took oaths for me to be their pastor in February 2009.

If I’ve blessed anyone by being in Los Angeles since 2008, Alan Balatbat has been instrumental in my presence and pastoral ministry in Los Angeles.

Finishing Well

Alan finished well and faithfully. For him, dying was gain (Phil. 1.21). I want to be able to count dying as gain right now, at 46 years old, even while my girls are under 18. As heartbreaking as it would be to not be around my kids growing up, dying right now is still better, it is still gain. To be dead here is to be present with Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5.8)! Alan embodied this desire. He said he wouldn’t trade his cancer for a longer life if this is what God wanted for him to glorify God and bless others. He certainly blessed me.

He wanted to edify me and others as much as he could before he passed away. God used him to really encourage and strengthen my hands not only to the work of ministry, not only to pursue humility, but to trust God that he will sustain me when it’s my time to face the wave of death. Listen to his interview with Francis Chan on his death bed here. I was blessed to see him and I was glad I recorded the conversation on audio (his wife recorded 10 minutes of it on video).

By God’s grace, I will fight the good fight of the faith, having a sincere faith, a good conscience, and a pure heart. I can’t imagine praising and thanking God the way Alan did in his last days. But I can trust that God’s grace will be sufficient for me on that day, and every day until I reach the finish line. It is a privilege to take the baton from my brother Alan and continue the work of pastoral ministry for Christ and his kingdom until he takes me home or until he returns. And then, I’ll get to celebrate with my brother in glory. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!

A Christward Life

A Mentor of Mine Now Present with the Lord