Discipleship Team

---

Pastor Robert Keetch, Jr. is the Discipleship Pastor at Orchard Church. He has served faithfully in this position since July 3, 2017. His responsibilities include overseeing Discipleship, Pastoral Care, Member Care, Health & Safety and Church Evangelism. He has been married to his wife LaVera since June 6, 1987. He is a father to six children and seven grandchildren.

Pastor Robert grew up in southeast San Diego and after attending college he graduated from the San Diego Police Academy. He served the city for 27 years and retired as a Detective Sergeant and on two occasions served as an interim City Department Director.

While serving as a detective, he attended the University of Southern California where he graduated from the prestigious Delinquency Control Institute (DCI) which is part of the USC

School of Public Administration. While at DCI, he performed extensive research on the “Impact of Gangs on the Black Family.” He was asked by the Dean to publish his research. Sergeant Keetch used his research to launch several community-based projects that impacted ‘At Risk’ children and families. He served as the architect of the San Diego County Youth Court, and the City of San Diego Teen Court. 

In 2001, he was directed by the Chief of Police David Bejarano, and the City Attorney Casey

Gwinn to design and operate the San Diego Family Justice Center. This Center was designed to be the first ‘One Stop Ship’ for families of domestic violence in the United States. After a few years, the San Diego Family Justice Center (SDFJC) became the model for the rest of the world. Sergeant Keetch served as the foremost expert in juvenile delinquency and family violence. He was responsible for changing the city’s response to juvenile issues.

Following his retirement for the San Diego Police Department in 2008, Robert served as a

supervisor for the security team at Pala Casino. After 18 months, Robert was hired as the

Director of Public Safety for the Soboba Indian Reservation. During his time in this role, he was responsible for reducing homicides and Riverside Sheriff tribal incidents to zero. He was also able to start the first Tribal Fire Department for Soboba, and he oversaw both the law enforcement and fire department. After serving at Soboba Indian Reservation, he was hired by the North County transit District as the Manager of transit Enforcement. His team of officers assumed responsibility of the security of all trains and rail transportation system in North County San Diego.

Pastor Robert’s leadership training and experience has been extensive. Leadership skills were taught to him early in life by his father. At the age of 11, he was voted by his pers to be the 7th Grade Commissioner at Wilson Junior High School. At the age of 14, Robert became the youngest Eagle Scout in the San Diego imperial County Council history. He was the first black Eagle Scout in Southeast San Diego. 

In his first year at Hoover High School in San Diego, Robert ran for Assistant Commissioner general (School Vice President). During his first-year term he led the school through many difficult issues. At the Age of 16, Robert was appointed as the Sunday School Superintendent at his church. By the age of 21, he was elected as the Southern District Sunday School and HYPU President overseeing 17 churches in Southern California. By 24 he was elected as the Western Diocese President over all churches in California overseeing Sunday School and HYPU departments for 28 churches Throughout California and Washington state.

As a Law Enforcement Administrator, Robert has been involved in the planning of the

Republican national Convention (RNC), August 12-15, 1996; Superbowl XXX in Qualcomm

Stadium on January 25, 1998, the1998 World Series, October 17, 1998: City of San Diego

response to Y2K, December 31, 1999; BIO Tech International Conference Protest, June 25,

2001..

After serving as a pastor at for three (3) different churches in San Diego and Murrieta, Orchard Church hired Pastor Robert in 2017. He was Ordained as a minister on October 28, 2013. His greatest joy is organizational development and restructuring, mentoring others, and training the to reach their full God given potential.