Actor Kel Mitchell Says ‘Being an Ambassador for Christ’ Is the Most Important Part of His Life
By Movieguide® Staff
Actor, producer and pastor Kel Mitchell spoke about how his faith in God is central to his work in Hollywood and his ministry.
“Being an ambassador for Christ is very important to me. That is first, and I always talk about putting Him in everything in my life,” Mitchell said over a Zoom at the Liberty University Convocation.
During the Q & A with the school’s former Vice President for Spiritual Development David Nasser, Mitchell noted that his life as a child actor looked different from his classmates.
“In school I didn’t really have time to goof off because I was like, ‘Okay I’ve got this job I have to go to after school.’” Mitchell said.
Mitchell’s passion for children and their mental health grew from his experience in the industry. Now, Mitchell is a youth pastor at Spirit Food Christian Center and works to produce family-friendly and uplifting content on screen.
Liberty University reported:
While Mitchell has made an incredible career out of being a world-renowned celebrity, staying true to being a man of God is what he values most. He says that after seeing so many people in the entertainment industry battle with mental health he has grown in his desire and passion to help young people through youth ministry.
Although Mitchell confessed that the balance between his family and his career is difficult, the GOOD BURGER star said that it is made possible by his foundation of faith in God.
“Even in troubled times and in good times, the Lord (is) there,” Mitchell told the students.
In a previous interview with Movieguide®, Mitchell said: “Because it’s really about people seeing the God in me and not see just the character or just the person that I’m playing. It’s really seeing how I got through certain things in my life and obstacles and things of that nature. I have been in this business a long time and I feel like they should see the God in me and I would be doing people a disservice if I didn’t show them the way to the light.”
Movieguide® previously reported:
The ’90s pop culture icon – also known for ALL THAT, Nickelodeon’s longest-running live-action series that ran from 1994 to 2005, and popular spinoff KENAN & KEL – said he put his faith in God and jumped headlong into ministry.
“There was a time where I felt like how will it be accepted? You know? How can I do this? I even searched around, like ‘Lord, send me people that have done this’ and I had no other actor or someone in the entertainment business that I could turn to that I knew was a youth pastor but also currently on television,” Mitchell said. “So I was trying to figure that out.”
However, after many years of contemplation, Mitchell said his wife, Asia Lee, encouraged him to step into the new occupation in faith.
“I remember I went to my wife and I said, ‘Babe, I’m trying to find someone to talk to about this,’ and she said, ‘Well, what’s wrong with being the first? What’s wrong with being that? Just being the first and trusting in the Lord? He told you to do this so trust in Him.’ And so that just spoke to my heart,” Mitchell recalled.