20 Years of Impact at Palm Beach Atlantic University

Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends gathered at the Family Church on Palm Beach Atlantic University's (PBA) campus on April 1, 2026, to celebrate Dr. Bernie Cueto's 20 years of service at PBA.

Cueto, or "Pastor Bernie," has impacted generations of students and colleagues through his roles as campus pastor and associate professor of biblical and theological studies. At a special chapel service, several former and current students and colleagues took the stage to celebrate his impact and share memories, including one of the people who hired Cueto in 2006.

Early Memories

"Twenty years ago, I was both dean of the School of Ministry and vice president for religious life and was charged with the responsibility of recruiting a campus pastor," said retired faculty member Dr. Ken Mahanes. "I remember we asked [Cueto] to speak in chapel, and I remember Dr. Joseph Webb's evaluation following Bernie's sermon. His assessment carried a lot of weight with me because he taught communication here at PBA and he was, at the time, president of the Academy of Homiletics.

"Here's what said to me: 'Ken, given the opportunity, there's an outstanding preacher inside that young man, just waiting to come out.' Well, Bernie, after 20 years, I'm still waiting."

After the laughter subsided, Mahanes moved on to more sentimental comments.

"Bernie is both an outstanding preacher behind the pulpit and an excellent teacher behind the lectern," he continued. "Students are drawn to you and your preaching. You clearly communicate deep truths from God's Word, interspersed with helpful illustrations and sometimes a wickedly delicious sense of humor."

A Transformative Impact

Double PBA alumnus Juan Rocha followed Mahanes on stage to share his stories of Cueto's transformative mentorship, both through their individual relationship and through Cueto's leadership of a 6 a.m. discipleship group called "Young Guns." Rocha shared how Cueto's lessons on honesty, faith, accountability, and stewardship were driven home through his integrity, demonstrated both in his professional demeanor and personal life.

"Your effort, your prayers, your intimacy with God, [and] your intentionality with students is living water for this whole PBA community," he said. "Generations that have come throughout 20 years have been profoundly blessed because of the work of your hand."

The chapel service closed with a video compilation of dozens of former students who celebrated Cueto from afar by recording their gratitude and favorite memories. Several mentioned that Cueto officiated their weddings.

"Every year that I get to be a campus pastor and professor, I'm amazed at God's faithfulness to allow me the privilege of teaching His Word and preaching it," Cueto shared afterward. "To do it as a career, to do it full-time, that doesn't pass over me, that blessing."

Counseling Pastors and Students

During the past 20 years, Cueto has also served as a church consultant, itinerant minister, and church planter. In addition to his work at PBA, he is the teaching pastor for Family Church (Gardens Campus), where he helps lead and train preachers across 19 campuses. As a preaching coach and consultant, he equips preachers to communicate God's Word with greater clarity, confidence, and competence by refining their skills and sharpening their delivery.

Most of all, his legacy shows his passion for seeing God transform lives through the power of His Word. When asked what advice he'd give to students, Cueto said,

"Always put [your] relationship with Jesus Christ first in [your] life. He says, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things will come to pass. And in the context of that passage, He's saying, hey, don't be anxious, don't worry about what you're going to eat, what you're going to wear - put first the kingdom of God.

"So I would encourage [you] to always put God first in [your] life, career, degree, major, relationships; everything else just falls into place."

Learn more about PBA's School of Ministry at https://www.pba.edu/academics/schools/ministry/.