I'm Pastor Josh, nice to meet you!

Pastor Josh Merrell was born and raised in a loving Christian home. When Josh was young, his father worked as an associate pastor at two churches. His mother worked as a teacher at a Christian school. Their diligence and faithful service imprinted his soul with godly desires from his earliest days. At the age of five, Bro. Josh became convicted of his sin through an object lesson at vacation Bible school and repented. With help from his dad, he trusted Christ and was baptized at Bible Baptist Church in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Through the consistent encouragement of his parents and the ardent prayers of his church family during his senior year of high school, Bro. Josh developed an intense zeal for the LORD and a love for the Bible. Church life and ministry became a consuming passion for him. Upon graduation in 1994, he moved to Oklahoma to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine from Oklahoma State University. It was there that he met Lee, whom he married in 1998. Despite being accepted to the veterinary program, his plans changed as his burden for souls and church service could not be satisfied with less than vocational ministry.

After graduating from OSU with a bachelor's degree in Animal Science, Bro. Josh started over by enrolling at Heartland Baptist Bible College in Oklahoma City (from which he graduated in 2004 with a degree in pastoral theology). He simultaneously accepted a position on staff at Bible Baptist Church in Stillwater, Oklahoma, under the leadership of Wayne Hardy. For ten years, Bro. Josh served as the college and singles pastor, bus ministry coordinator, evangelism director, and more.

In 2009, Bro. Josh accepted a call from South Side Baptist Church in Weatherford, Texas, to become the next senior pastor. He worked with the existing pastor for two years to ensure a smooth transition and finally assumed the leadership role in 2011. In the decade that followed, the LORD blessed the church tremendously. Scores of souls have been saved and baptized; many have been discipled and are now serving faithfully. The buildings and grounds have been dramatically renovated, yet the church has become debt-free.

Pastor Merrell is a lifelong student. He loves reading, writing, and research. He holds an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and will soon begin work on a ThM at Dallas Theological Seminary.

The Merrell's have three children, ages eighteen, twenty, and twenty-two, and enjoy serving with them in ministry and watching them compete in all forms of athletics. They rejoice in God's goodness and willingness to use them in His service and recognize that to Christ belongs all the glory.