Colts Neck

Mar 14, 2023

Pastor Chris Durkin to be Featured on Fox Nation

By Lori Draz

Every week, congregants of Colts Neck Community Church come together to be inspired by the passionate and positive Pastor Chris Durkin, who enthusiastically shares his deep biblical knowledge and devotion to the community. Now Durkin has a global audience, thanks to a moving documentary series, “The Life of Jesus,” which is airing on the Fox Nation network. 

The series was the brainchild of Fox News contributor and weekend anchor Pete Hegseth, who formed a close friendship with Durkin as a member of the Colts Neck Community Church. When Hegseth started developing the TV program, which gives viewers an up-close look at the key locations of the life of Jesus, he wanted to include a biblical scholar to really crystalize the scriptures, and for Hegseth that choice was simple. 

Hegseth warmly shared, “Pastor Chris has become a very important part of my life. He really changed the trajectory of my life and the life of my family. I was knowledgeable about the scriptures, but my family and I were seeking a closer walk, and I believe Pastor Chris was heaven-sent. Chris has a unique, instinctive ability to meet you where you are with a true honesty about human nature. He invests himself in every member of the church and pours himself into the community. We became and remain close friends, and my deep respect for his knowledge and for our friendship made him the only choice when we filmed this series.”

“The Life of Jesus” is a two-part series with three episodes in each part. Part one is streaming currently, and Part 2 will debut over the Easter season.

The program is different than many biblical documentaries as the team opted away from the cathedrals and traditional tour sites and instead walked alone in the actual places in the life of Jesus. Viewers will see the temple where He preached, the silent isolation of the Judean wilderness where He was tempted by the devil, sail on the Galilee where He walked on water and stand where He spoke the Sermon on the Mount and performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes. You feel as though you were with them on these journeys as you see many sites for the first time which actually was the experience for Durkin. 

Though Durkin has nearly 25 years of ministry experience, this was his first visit to the Holy Land. “I was overjoyed about the project. I knew it was the opportunity of a lifetime so when Pete asked, I quickly said yes! I have traveled all of the world – Asia, Canada, England, Ireland, the rain forests of Central America and numerous islands in the Caribbean – nothing compares to visiting the Holy Land in Israel. Feeling the deep spiritual connection to the land was a profound intellectual and emotional experience.”

The trip was 10 days long. Eight of those days they filmed from morning to evening. Hegseth said, “We had the easy part. Much of the credit goes to the production team who went through hours of material to put this show together.” 

Durkin added, “Pete originally reached out to me in March of 2022. We left for Israel to film the documentary in May of last year.” There was a lot of work and Durkin thanks his best friend and wife, Melissa, their five wonderful children and his congregation for their patience during the process. “Visiting the Holy Land was truly life-changing! To walk in the same paths that Jesus walked, to see where Jesus performed miracles and preached, to visit the place where he was crucified and rose again, leads to greater awe and amazement of the historical events recorded in the Bible. I highly recommend traveling to the Holy Land and retracing the life of Jesus to everyone who is able to go. If you’re not, we hope this program will serve to bring you a deeper connection to the life of Jesus.” 

Both men agree that the feedback from people all over the country has been overwhelming, and they are thrilled their skills have been used by God to point thousands of people to Jesus through this documentary.

Pastor Chris invites everyone attend his services, especially during Easter season. He said, “At Colts Neck Community Church, we celebrate Palm Sunday with a delicious free brunch and many activities for children. We also offer a profound and moving Good Friday service. This year, we will include another special viewing of ‘The Life of Jesus’ documentary as well. All of our Easter events will culminate with several inspiring worship services on Resurrection Sunday.” 

For a detailed list of events and services and much more about the church, visit ColtsNeckChurch.com.