Pastor Joe Braden
Senior Pastor
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Hello, my name is Joseph Braden. I have had the privilege of serving as the Pastor here at First Baptist Church of St. Peters since July 1996. My wife, Diane, and I were married in August of 1981. We have been blessed with three sons: Andrew, Thomas, and Grant. Andrew, along with his wife, Casey, and daughter, Callista, lives in Louisville, Ky. Thomas is a supervisory computer help-desk technician at a large company here in the St. Louis area. Grant is student in college hoping to pursue sports broadcasting.
I completed my Bachelor's degree at Missouri Baptist College (now University) in 1983, where I now occasionally get to teach a religion class. It is a treat to interact with college students and point them to the Lord Jesus Christ through the Scriptures. In 1987, I graduated from seminary at Dallas Theological Seminary with a Masters degree in Theology. My wife and I then went to Bethany Baptist Church in Sedalia, Missouri where we served for nine years before God called us to First Baptist. I am currently working on my Doctor of Ministry degree in Biblical Counseling from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.
As I have free time I enjoy playing racquetball and riding my bicycle. I do have an active interest in coffee, roasting my own beans and able to tell you more about coffee than you really would want to know.
I enjoy teaching the Bible to our church family. I also enjoy reading and preparing to teach. God has used such writers as John Piper, John MacArthur, R. C. Sproul, Jerry Bridges, D. A. Carson, Paul David Tripp and Donald Whitney to shape my theology and thinking. I also benefit from some "old dead guys" like J.C Ryle, John Owen, and John Calvin.