A Christian pastor from Las Vegas city in the United States has decided to get a tattoo expressing Jesus' love for him, and he did this while delivering a sermon in front of his church—the first time a Church leader did so.

Pastor Vince Antonucci of the Verve Church—which he describes as "a church for people who don't like church"—got inked during a worship service last Sunday.

The tattoo he got, done by Las Vegas Christian artist Chance Gomez, read "The One Jesus Loves."

In an interview,  Antonucci explained that he got the tattoo as a way to deal with a sad childhood experience. He shared that he had an abusive father, who would call him "stupid" and "worthless."

The Christian pastor said his father would throw him questions like "How could you be so dumb?" or "Are you totally worthless?" which affected him as he grew up.

"In order to get your new tattoo, your new ID, you have to first remove the old. I had lived so long thinking of myself in a negative way. I didn't know how to not think of myself that way. I didn't realise that God loved me," Antonucci said.

Some of Pastor Antonucci's church members followed their pastor in getting inked as a way to deal with their struggles, and helped them experience God's love.

One faithful named Samantha, for instance, shared to The Christian Post how she got tattoos to cover up the "ugliness" she experienced when she was bullied in elementary school.

On its website, the Verve Church said allowing these tattoos among the faithful prove that it is "a church where no perfect people were allowed, because there are no perfect people."

"We are a church that is about relationships — loving God and loving people, and turning the world upside down. We are a church that is fun, and relevant, and really made a difference in your life," the church said on its website.