The Lord led Pastor Hanks to Heritage Baptist Church, in Lawrence, KS to pastor in June of 1994. He had previously served as an assistant pastor for five years in Sauk Village, Illinois, where his father pastored for 33 years. Pastor Hanks and his wife Stacia have been married for more than 30 years and have 8 children. God has used Pastor Hanks to write many books for Christian growth, and has given him a desire to see the next generation to become fully prepared to serve the Lord through Christian education and life on life training.