Joel is a Georgia native and has served in local church ministry his entire career. He earned a Master of Divinity at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Joel also has an undergraduate degree from Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa, GA. Joel served in student ministry at Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC and The First Baptist Church of Charleston in Charleston, SC. He began serving as lead pastor at Ellaville Baptist in 2015. Joel and his wife Gwen have been married since 2006 and they have four children.