By the time he was in Junior High School, Tyler Sollie knew he wanted to attend Northwest University and become a Youth Pastor. You don’t have to look far to find the reasons.

“I grew up at Life Center in Tacoma, and my Youth Pastor there was Dean Curry. He is definitely a huge influence on my life. He is a graduate of Northwest, and that inspired me to go there, too,” states Tyler. “He took me under his wing and believed in me. I wanted to have the same ministry skills and abilities that he had learned.”

There was another reason, even closer to home, that Tyler chose Northwest. His older sister Tasha graduated from Northwest in 1998 with a B.A. in Elementary Education. She and her husband, Doug Myers, also a 1998 graduate, now serve as missionaries in Swaziland, Africa.

Tyler’s intention to major in Youth Ministry was clear from the beginning.

Yet, by the time he graduated, he had a double major, in Youth Ministry and Biblical Studies.

“I wasn’t pursuing a Biblical Studies major at all,” he recalls. “But I was so interested in the Bible that I kept taking extra classes. By the time I was ready to graduate, I had ended up with a double major.”

Tyler points out that these Bible classes prepared him “very well” for his ministry today.

“I had wonderful teachers and mentors at Northwest,” states Tyler.

“Dr. Waldemar Kowalski gave me a foundation in theology, and Dr. Jack Wisemore helped me understand and appreciate my pentecostal heritage. And, of course, my Youth Ministry classes with Dr. Mike Thompson definitely paved the way.”

Northwest gave Tyler other ways to “grow his gifts” outside a classroom.

“After my sophomore year, I had a chance to travel with Pocket Change, a Summer Ministry Team. This was a great way to minister to hundreds and hundreds of students and be exposed to many areas of ministry you might not see in a local church.”

Tyler began attending Eastridge Christian Assembly while he was a student at Northwest. He served as an intern there during his senior year, and joined their staff as Associate Pastor of Student Ministries after his graduation from Northwest in 2002.

“When I tell people I work with Junior High students, they are often sympathetic,” observes Tyler. “But I love it. Many people say it’s a difficult age, but I think it’s one of the greatest. This is the first time they’re starting to make big life decisions for themselves. This is when we want to reach them.”

Tyler teaches a Sunday morning class, Definition, that helps students define their faith in Jesus Christ.

He also leads the Tuesday evening Impact service, which involves games, worship... and a full sermon.

“This is my time to speak to issues that students are facing,” he states.

“We live on the Eastside of Seattle in a very affluent area, and at one level it’s easy to look around and say these kids don’t have any needs,” he states.

“In reality, they have huge needs. We have many students who come from broken places in life. They’ve gone through divorces; some don’t even know their mom or their dad. Often their parents work so much they don’t have much time for them.

“When they come to church, I want to make sure they get what they need so they can live their lives for God.”