Meet Pastor Harriman
MEET PASTOR HARRIMAN
YOUNG LIFE
Pastor Joel Harriman was born near Oberlin, Ohio in 1956. His family moved every few years while he was growing up (a ministry family), so he also lived in Johnson City, NY; after that, a Maryland suburb of Washington D.C.; and he graduated from high school while living in Indianapolis, IN.
TRAINING
Pastor Harriman attended Cedarville College (now Cedarville University), Cedarville, Ohio from 1973 until he graduated in 1977. He took two things from there, his Bachelor’s degree (which provided him with excellent training to be a life-long student of the Word of God) and his sweetheart, Janet (Carr) Harriman (who is from Marcellus, NY – near Syracuse). They met their freshman year, studied and served the Lord together for the remainder of their four years at Cedarville, and married a month after graduating.
MINISTRY
Two weeks after their wedding he began his pastoral ministry at Grace Baptist Church, Salamanca, NY (sadly, it’s doors have since closed). Three years later they moved to the Washington D.C. area where he taught in a Christian school for a couple of years.
In 1984 they moved to Belle Center, Ohio where he assumed the pastorate of New Richland Baptist Church. They were there for the next ten years. He was ordained to the work of the Gospel Ministry on May 22, 1986 by New Richland Baptist Church. In 1991 he received a Master’s degree from Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Then, in 1994 the Harriman’s moved to Alliance, Ohio where he was Pastor of the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church for twelve years.
On October 15, 2006 they began their ministry at Faith Baptist Church of North Chili.
FAMILY
The Lord has given to Janet and Joel four wonderful children, two great son-in-laws, one fantastic daughter-in-law, and two exceptional (in his unbiased opinion) granddaughters.
PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY
Pastor Harriman’s ministry is characterized by a quiet faithfulness – to God, His Word, and ministry to God’s people. Knowing that it is the task of the church to introduce people to Christ and then assist those who believe as they grow in their faith, Pastor Harriman trusts that God will use the preaching and teaching of the Bible to accomplish those humanly impossible responsibilities. While he wonders with the Apostle Paul, “who is sufficient for these things,” the evident call of God on his life compels him to passionately and compassionately declare Christ crucified as the answer to the needs of the world today.