GET TO KNOW OUR PASTOR
Josh Westall, the pastor of Good Shepherd Baptist Church, is known as real, meaning “what you see is what you get”. Pastor Josh, a kind and compassionate man, carries an earnest desire to live for Christ and share the gospel with others.
Pastor Josh was saved at age 8. At the age of 19, while pursuing a degree in law enforcement, he surrendered to preach and serve in full-time Christian service. He attended Bible college, where he graduated in 2005 with a bachelors degree in Pastoral Theology. Pastor Josh served the Lord in numerous capacities, including as both a Christian school principal and teacher, a bus director, a Bible college administrator and teacher, a Sunday school teacher, and a children’s ministry Director.
Pastor Josh and his wife Laura have been happily married since 2001. They have three children: Caleb (Lilly), Tricia, and Clarke. They also have two grandchildren. When he is not spending time with his family or working at the church, he loves to hunt and fish. Outdoor pursuits allow him to relax and enjoy the beauty of God‘s creation.
"Behold, I will do a new thing.."
In early 2023, the Lord began to move in the heart of Pastor Josh about pastoring. Over the next 12 months, Josh and Laura began to pray and fast about where the Lord would have them go. Would it be to take the pastorate of an existing church or would it be to start a church? The Lord made it clear that they were to plant a church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In January 2024, with confirmation from the Lord, they officially began the journey of planting Good Shepherd Baptist Church. The goal: to be a light in a dark world by sharing the message of hope that is contained in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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"Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." - Isaiah 43:19
