Joel was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana as well as on the mission field of Peru and Haiti. His family then relocated to Northwest Arkansas where Joel met his wife Sarah. They married January 1996 and have three children, Hannah, Bethany, and Josiah.  

Joel has been around ministry his entire life and has personally led worship and pastored since 1995 and ordained since 1999. In 2005 Joel and Sarah joined the church plant of Keypoint Church where they watched it grow into an influential church in Northwest Arkansas. During their time at Keypoint, Joel, served as worship pastor while, Sarah served as children's pastor.

At the beginning of 2011 God began to stir Joel's heart and in September of 2011 the vision to plant Church at Hampton Roads was birthed. He is driven by one word, the word "others".

We believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, irrevocable and complete Word of God.
(2 Tim. 3:16-17)

We believe God is triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the three-in-one.
(1 John 5:7)

We believe that man was created in the image of God, but that by voluntary disobedience he fell from perfection and died spiritually. We believe that the change, which takes place in the heart and life at conversion, is a literal one and is the result of being born of the Spirit of God.
(2 Cor. 5:17, Gal. 2:20, John 3:5 -7)

We believe that it is the will of God that we walk in relationship with the Holy Spirit continually.
(Eph 4:30–32, 1 Cor 12:1-11, Gal 5:22-23, Rom 12:6-8, Eph 4:11-13)

We believe that heaven and hell are literal places, eternally existent.
 (John 14:2, Rev. 7:15-17) 

We believe in the Biblical definition of marriage. Jesus Himself told us that a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.  We believe the act of sexual intimacy is reserved for marriage.
(Mark 10:7)

We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His Image. We believe life begins at the moment of conception to natural death. 
(Acts 17:25, Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:7; Genesis 4:15; Isaiah 64:8; Hebrews 9:27; Judges 13:3-4; Deuteronomy 5:17)