Bobby Durning

Meet Bobby

I was born and raised in the great state of New Jersey (I promise it’s great, no matter what you’ve heard!). My dad was a campus minister throughout my entire childhood, and my parents raised me and my three younger siblings with a solid intellectual understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. I made a profession of faith in Jesus around 8th grade after realizing that I was a sinner in need of forgiveness and was baptized shortly after. A defining moment for me was reading Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler as a sophomore in college; I felt like I truly grasped the application of the gospel as explained in the book of Romans for the first time. Understanding the practical implications of justification by faith and freedom from the curse of sin was an amazing experience, and I haven’t been the same since!

After graduating from a small college north of Boston (smaller than most kindergartens in Texas), I went to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and graduated a few years later with a Master of Arts in Theology with a focus in Biblical Theology and preaching. I then got to serve full-time on a church staff north of Boston as their Director of Church Ministries for 5+ years. I attended Watermark’s Church Leaders Conference in April 2021, and the Lord used it to impact me so profoundly that my wife and I knew it was time to “step out of the boat” in extreme faith. We relocated to Dallas and applied to the Watermark Institute for 2022-2023. I got the exciting opportunity to step on full-time staff at Watermark in February 2023! I am passionate about the Lord, His Word, and His people.

My wife Nina and I love New York style pizza, going on walks with our lazy freeloader (aka dog), and playing board games (Catan pros, where you at?). The beach sunsets and tacos in San Diego are two of my favorite things in the world. I’m also a professional bagpiper and greatly enjoy traveling internationally to compete at a high level.