Reverend Willie Elder is the Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Orange, VA, where in September 2019 he was installed as the tenth pastor. There are no other clergy on staff at the present time.
Reverend Willie Elder is the tenth pastor of this church’s long history. He is a devoted and committed servant of the Lord; one who loves to teach and preach God’s Word. He is a native of Brunswick County, Virginia home of the world famous “Brunswick Stew.”
In 2010 while pursuing a Master of Divinity he joined with Christian Way Baptist Church to satisfy the program’s Field Study requirement. He faithfully served this ministry for nine years, five years as Assistant-Pastor. Prior to that for more than 25 years, he served Mount Pleasant Baptist Church (MPBC) where he served in several capacities. Pastor Elder is a former President (2014-2016) of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Northern Virginia and Vicinity.
After much prayer, Pastor Elder acknowledged his call to the gospel ministry in October 1999, then preached his initial sermon in December 2000 at MPBC. On April 28, 2019, Pastor Elder accepted the call to serve as Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Orange, VA. He was installed as Bethel’s tenth pastor in September 2019.
Pastor Elder earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Maryland; a Certificate in Biblical Studies from Capital Bible Seminary, Lanham, MD; a Master of Divinity Degree from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University, Richmond, VA: and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Virginia University of Lynchburg, VA. He is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army. In June 2019, he retired from the Department of Defense. He is a husband, father, grandfather.