Pastor Kietrich "Key" Germany
It was under the sunny skies of Sacramento, California that Pastor Kietrich “Key”
Germany was introduced to the Lord through his parents. It was his mother that inspired him to
love the Bible and evangelism. It was his father who taught him to thirst for God and an
authentic relationship with Him.
This thirst for God ended one night when his mother took him to an evangelistic series as
a young boy and he felt the Spirit tugging on his heart. He responded to the call of the Holy
Spirit, and there he and God met personally.
God’s call upon Pastor Key was revealed to him at a young age. At the tender age of 12,
he began gathering a small group of his non-Christian friends before school and would preach to
them and plead with them to give their hearts to God. After he led one of those friends to Jesus, it
became apparent that God was anointing him for evangelistic and teaching ministry.
With a bagful of clothes and a head full of ideas, Pastor Key followed God to Oakwood
College (now University) where he received a more formal education for ministry. He graduated
in 2003 with a Bachelors of Arts in Ministerial Theology.
Upon graduating, he was hired as a youth pastor at the Capitol City SDA Church under
the leadership of Dr. Ivan Williams, Sr. It was while he was ministering there that a young lady
by the name of Teairra McQueen caught his eye. Little did Pastor Key know at the time that
Teairra would be the joy of his home, the jelly on his biscuits, and the hot sauce on his greens.
They dated for five years, and were married on July 19, 2009 at the Capitol City SDA Church
where they met.
In the autumn of 2006, Pastor Key enrolled at the Seventh-day Adventist Seminary at
Andrews University to pursue his Masters of Divinity. While there, he served as the chaplain for
the Black Student Association of the Seminary and the Assistant Pastor for the New Life
Fellowship under the tutelage of Chaplain Tim Nixon. With one semester left before completing
his masters, Pastor Key was officially hired by the Northern California Conference to be the
assistant pastor at the Oakland Market Street Church. Subsequently, he has earned his Master of
Arts in Pastoral Ministry.
He served at Market Street under the mentorship of both Pastors Kendall Guy and Virgil
Childs for four years. In January of 2013, Pastor Key became the solo pastor of the Oakland
Elmhurst SDA Church where he served for just under 10 years. In November of 2022, Pastor
Key became the pastor for the Rancho Cordova and Stockton Mayfair Churches.
Pastor Key enjoys such diverse arts as writing poetry and prose, drawing, singing, acting
and storytelling. He’s an avid reader and a gifted theologian who loves a good debate. He
relishes hiking and camping. He played both varsity basketball and football in high school while
also receiving an academic scholarship for college.
Pastor Key is generally a friendly, but quiet man. He listens more often than he talks. If
you ask him why he’s in the ministry, he will tell you in the words of the prophet Jeremiah: “It’s
simple: ‘His Word is like a fire, shut up in my bones. I can’t hold my peace.’”