Dr. Joe Grider, Pastor - "The Sabbath-Keeping Minister"

Dynamic. Soul Searching. Spirit-filled. These are the attributes that believers use to describe the transforming ministry of Pastor Joe Grider. “I can do all things through Christ” is the faith text of this seasoned 30-year pastoral veteran. The Baptist-reared Lexington, KY native went to school for Mechanical Drafting and Training at the Chicago Institute of Technology.  He also obtained structural and electrical experience and was employed by IBM as a Design Checker. 

Elder Joseph McCoy, former President of the South Central Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (SDA) baptized Pastor Grider in 1971.  He was called into the ministry at the precious age of 6 years old, but did not respond until 1975, after Elder McCoy personally mentored him into the ministry of the SDA church.

Pastor Grider is driven by the desire to introduce Christ to the lost and to strengthen those who are saved.  Because of this desire, he attended the premier Adventist educational institution, Oakwood College in Huntsville, AL and obtained the Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology in 1979. In 1981, he earned the Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University (SDA Theological Seminary) in Berrien Springs, MI.  In 2009 he received his Doctorial degree in Pastoral Counseling with an emphasis on the Family from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH.

During Pastor Grider’s 27-year tenure in the South Central Conference of Seventh-day Adventists he pastored the following 7 churches: Hollandale, Rolling Fork and Ephesus of Greenville, MS, Berean of Jackson, MS, New Life of Huntsville, AL, Ephesus of Birmingham, AL and Longview Heights of Memphis, TN.

His inspiring, results-oriented ministry and leadership resulted in over a thousand souls being baptized, 4 mortgages being liquidated, major church renovations and school purchases. His passion and tenacity for taking care of the elderly resulted in receiving a $9 million Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant to erect a senior citizen’s complex while at Ephesus SDA in Birmingham, AL.

In September 2006, the Southwest Region Conference of Seventh-day Adventists extended Pastor Grider an invitation to become the 8th pastor of the largest Houston-based Seventh-day Adventist church, Bellfort SDA. He aspires to win more souls for Christ using modern day methods and relocate into a new worship ministry center in the near future. This servant of God desires to have a more “family oriented congregation” and to work synergistically with all demographics to carry out the vision that the Lord has given to him.

Pastor Grider is proud to be married to Dorris M. Grider. They have a beautiful daughter, Twyla, a Philadelphia, PA-based Fashion Designer and a son, Gregory, a Dallas-based Business Manager with three precious girls and living in Dallas, TX.

This holy-ghost inspired, preaching machine has infectious positive energy and plans to continue sharing God’s love through his ministry.