Apostle Johnny Ova leads Sound of Heaven Church in Deer Park, New York, which he and his wife, Rachel, planted and lead together as apostles. He spent about 20 years as a professional wrestler, trained by Ted DiBiase. Today he teaches the Bible the way it was written, hosts The Dig In Podcast, and wrote The Revelation Reset.
Deer Park, NY
I was born and raised on Long Island and grew up Catholic. My dad died at 44. Years of heavy drug and alcohol abuse led to the blood clots in his legs that killed him.
I was always a wrestling fan, and by 17 I was already training to be a pro wrestler. Through wrestling I met Bobby Riedel, who is part of our children's ministry. Bobby led me to the Lord at 17.
Then "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase took a chance on a scrawny 17-year-old kid with a dream. I came up under Ted, he trained me, and my career took off to a whole new level. It has been about 20 amazing years in the ring. Everywhere I went, I wanted to be a light in dark places and let the love of Jesus make an impact. I always wanted my wrestling to leave a legacy.
While my wrestling career was going, God gave me a deep heart for street evangelism. I started building evangelism teams and talking to people about Jesus everywhere. We have led thousands of people to the Lord. We have trained teams in churches across the country, taking them onto the streets, letting them watch, then training them and leaving strong evangelism teams behind in every church we visited.
In 2011 I married Rachel, and Ted DiBiase officiated our wedding, which meant the world to me. That same weekend we planted Sound of Heaven Church. Rachel and I lead the church together, both as apostles. Rachel leads our worship, moves in the prophetic, and changes the atmosphere of any room she walks into.
Our heart is to lay real biblical foundations and help every Christian read and apply the Word of God in its original context. We want to raise leaders. We want to raise good husbands and wives, good moms and dads, good people in our community, and business owners who do the right thing and make an impact for good.
Rachel and I are raising five amazing kids, LJ, Zoe, Massimo, Lucy and Eden, and they are with us every step of the way. You can meet the rest of our team on Meet the Squad.
Led to the Lord by Bobby Riedel while training to wrestle.
Pro wrestling career, trained by Ted DiBiase.
Thousands led to Jesus. Evangelism teams trained in churches across the country.
Ted DiBiase marries Johnny and Rachel. They plant Sound of Heaven that weekend.
Apostle, teacher, host of The Dig In, author of The Revelation Reset.
Johnny was already training to wrestle when he gave his life to Jesus at 17. Then "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase took a chance on a scrawny 17-year-old kid with a dream. Johnny came up under Ted, who trained him, and his career took off. He spent about 20 years as a professional wrestler, crossing paths with legends like Sting and George "The Animal" Steele.
Johnny went into every locker room and arena wanting to be a light in dark places. He wanted his wrestling to leave a legacy that pointed people to Jesus. And when Johnny and Rachel got married in 2011, Ted DiBiase was the one who married them.
These days the ring has been traded for the mats, where he trains and coaches jiu-jitsu, and the pulpit on Sunday morning.
Trained by Ted DiBiase. Married by Ted DiBiase.
Wrestling HighlightsA look back at Johnny's years in the ring.
In The Ring With Shawn MichaelsJohnny mixes it up with Shawn Michaels, alongside Doink, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine and Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake.
Johnny does not teach from a religious or denominational angle. He teaches from a historical and contextual one. He breaks down what the words meant in their own time and what a passage meant to its original audience, and the Scriptures come alive. He has a heart for biblical literacy and for showing people the richness of the Word in ways they may never have heard before.
Everything is read through Jesus, the full and final picture of who God is.
Not a waiting room for later. Believers live and serve in it today.
Every gift active, always serving love, never performance or hype.
He built Foundations, CORE and VITALS to take people from a first Sunday to leading others.
The Dig In is Johnny's weekly long-form interview show about the Bible. He sits down with biblical scholars, archaeologists, theologians, historians and skeptics, lets them make their case in full, and then asks the follow-up most people are thinking.
Guests have come from Cambridge, Oxford, Notre Dame, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Rutgers and Bar-Ilan, including Dr. John Walton, Dr. Jodi Magness and Dr. Amy-Jill Levine.
Weekly Interviews
Available Now
For centuries Revelation has been the most misunderstood book in the Bible. Charts, timelines, novels, movies, fear. In The Revelation Reset, the first volume of a four-part series, Johnny walks readers back to the world John was actually writing to and asks the questions that change how the whole book reads.
No fear-driven speculation. Just the tools to read Revelation in its world, on its terms, with real history and confidence in Christ and His Kingdom.
Johnny is an ordained minister, and he has also been recognized by four other denominations. He believes every leader needs people over them who can speak into their life, and he has been blessed with good ones.
Johnny was ordained as a pastor, evangelist and minister under Apostle Axel Sippach and served within the IMPACT network led by Apostle John Eckhardt. He is grateful for those years and what they built into him.
Johnny is connected to Bishop Jamie Englehart and Connect International Ministries (CIM), a family of churches, ministries, businesses and leaders.
Purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He still trains and coaches on the mats.
A New York Jets fan through every season, good and bad.
LJ, Zoe, Massimo, Lucy and Eden keep the house full.
A good steak, a good cigar and a good whiskey with good people.
Introducing Johnny at an event, on a podcast or in print? Everything you need is here. Download the photos, copy the bio that fits your space, and use the title Apostle Johnny Ova.
Apostle Johnny Ova and his wife, Apostle Rachel Ova, lead Sound of Heaven Church in Deer Park, New York, which they planted in 2011. A professional wrestler for about 20 years, trained by Ted DiBiase, he now hosts The Dig In Podcast and is the author of The Revelation Reset.
Apostle Johnny Ova was born and raised on Long Island, New York. He gave his life to Jesus at 17 while training to become a professional wrestler, and went on to a wrestling career of about 20 years, trained by "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. Alongside wrestling he built street evangelism teams that have led thousands of people to the Lord, and he has trained evangelism teams in churches across the country. In 2011 he married Rachel, with Ted DiBiase officiating, and that same weekend they planted Sound of Heaven Church in Deer Park, which they lead together as apostles. Johnny teaches the Bible from a historical and contextual angle, with a heart for biblical literacy. He hosts The Dig In Podcast and wrote The Revelation Reset. He is connected to Bishop Jamie Englehart and Connect International Ministries. Johnny and Rachel have five children.
Photos may be used to promote an event, interview or article featuring Johnny. Please credit Sound of Heaven Church and do not alter or crop faces. Need something else? Use the booking form below.
Johnny speaks at conferences, churches, men's events and leadership gatherings, and joins podcasts and interviews. He also trains church teams in street evangelism, on the streets with them.
Apostle Johnny Ova leads Sound of Heaven Church in Deer Park, New York, with his wife, Apostle Rachel Ova. They planted it in 2011. He is a former professional wrestler, the host of The Dig In Podcast and the author of The Revelation Reset.
Use Apostle Johnny Ova. In conversation most people just call him Johnny, and he is fine with that.
Yes. Johnny accepts invitations to speak at churches, conferences and events, and he joins podcasts and interviews. Send the details through the booking form on this page.
New episodes come out Mondays at 6:15 AM ET on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with Dig In Live at 4:30 PM ET. The full archive lives at johnnyova.com.
The Revelation Reset, Volume 1 is available now on Amazon in print and digital.
Yes. He teaches at Sound of Heaven Church, 375 Commack Road in Deer Park, with Sunday services at 9 and 11 AM. Every service also streams live.
Sundays at 9 and 11 AM at 375 Commack Road, Deer Park. Come early, grab a coffee, and say hi to Johnny after the service.
