Making an Impact for God’s Glory in New York City
David Engelhardt, LAW '14
As the founding attorney of Engelhardt Law in New York City and lead pastor at the Manhattan-based congregation of Kings’ Church, Regent University alumnus David Engelhardt (LAW ’14) is making an eternal impact for God’s glory in the “city that never sleeps.”
This husband and father of three calls his journey to Regent “uncommon.” Three days after a prophetic minister told him at a youth event that God was about to “redirect” his life, David received clear direction from the Lord.
“I woke at 4:30 a.m. with an urge to pray,” he recalls. “As I sat on my couch, I felt the Lord speaking to me: ‘I want you to go back to school.’ I had my undergrad degree and thought I would get my Master of Divinity degree and began immediately looking on my laptop for divinity programs. As I did, the Lord spoke a second time, very loudly: ‘No! Law school.’”
Having earned his bachelor’s in philosophy from what he calls “one of the most liberal universities in the Northwest,” David wanted a “starkly different perspective” for law school. He says Regent University was the best choice for that: “When I began exploring law schools, Regent stood out — not just for its academic excellence, but for its commitment to integrating biblical truth with legal education,” he explains. “I knew I wanted to use my law degree not just for personal success, but somehow to serve God in a world increasingly drifting from our fundamental values.”
After speaking with his wife and pastor and receiving clear confirmation from the Lord, David decided to attend Regent Law. He left his job as a youth pastor in eastern Washington and headed to Virginia Beach.
“Attending Regent Law was unique,” he remembers. “I was married with two children under three. My wife was a busy mom of toddlers, and I was juggling being a father, husband, and student. Regent was an incredible place to walk that journey — both an academically rigorous and spiritually enriching experience.”
After graduating from Regent Law and passing the bar exam in his home state of New York, David immediately moved with his family to Manhattan and opened his law practice.
“I do not recommend this,” he admits. “Moving to New York City immediately after law school was inspired by the Holy Spirit. The inspiration included a dream to practice law and plant a church that would look to the intersection of faith and culture.”
In 2018, David worked with the ARC church-planting network to plant Kings’ Church—a Manhattan-based congregation that has since expanded to church plants and developing church communities in Charleston, Tulsa, Phoenix, and beyond.
The mission of Kings’ Church is “to preach the gospel boldly, disciple believers, and raise up leaders who are unafraid to engage culture with biblical truth.” Its vision is “to see a revival of faith and virtue in America’s cities, challenging the status quo and bringing light to dark places.”
As a practicing attorney, David works with businesses and nonprofits in the area of outside general counsel with a focus on new media and entertainment, while at times handling complex civil litigation. In his first “real” case, he argued and won a case with $50 million in controversy before New York’s First Judicial Department Appellate Division.
David is also a successful entrepreneur who has launched other companies, including Truman Media and Lucid News. Truman is a streaming platform for media that upholds virtue, beauty, and faith. Lucid News focuses on producing high-quality content that aligns with those same values, providing an alternative to mainstream media’s increasingly secular and agenda-driven narratives.
“These ventures were born out of a need to reclaim storytelling and media for truth and virtue,” he explains, “and to walk in the legacy of Regent University’s founder, the late Dr. M.G. ‘Pat’ Robertson.”
In the non-profit sector, David has worked with NGOs and churches in a number of different roles since 1998. In 2020, he joined the Turning Point USA board of directors. Also a published author, David has been quoted in various publications, such as Forbes, Business News Daily, and Inc. Magazine, and wrote a best-selling book on modern theology: Good Kills.
“The world doesn’t need more passive voices,” he insists. “It needs leaders who will contend for what is right, regardless of the cost. We’re taught to do that as lawyers, but it’s equally applicable in the pulpit and beyond.”