Keith Goad
Preaching Pastor

Keith was raised in a Christian home in the Carolinas but was not converted to Christ until his freshman year of college.  After living recklessly throughout high school, God called Keith to himself, and created in him a desire to know Him more and proclaim the gospel to others.  In 1997, he transferred to Liberty University (because of a basketball game--you will have to ask him about it) where he did not expect to stay long because he only had a few questions about the Bible at the time. He left Liberty asking more and better questions (the evidence of a good education) and with a growing desire to study God's Word. He then went to Southern Seminary where he earned an MDiv (2004) and a Ph.D. (2010) in Systematic Theology.

While at Liberty, he met Lisa, and they were married in the summer of 2002. They met Keith's senior year of undergrad so he had to stay another year at Liberty to convince her to marry him.  Soon after the wedding, Lisa got mono and it caused a post-viral complication called POTS.  Keith was overwhelmed by how Lisa's health would change his plans at first, but now it is obvious how God was using it to mold and shape him to be a pastor. They have three daughters, Lillian (2009), Ivy (2012), and Edith (2017).

He was called to be an elder at Third Avenue Baptist Church in Louisville, KY in 2006.  This was a great blessing because the church longed to follow Christ, he worked with godly elders, his gifts were sharpened, and God grew his desire to serve the church. In 2009, he served as pulpit supply at JPBC in February, after which he and his wife walked away impressed with the love and unity of the church.  A series of events made it crystal clear that God had called Keith to be the under-shepherd of JPBC.  He preached his first sermon on Reformation Day (October 31st) 2010.

His goals for the future are to love his wife and family, to serve the body faithfully, and to hike every mountain in Virginia.

Keith can be reached personally through his email: keith@jpbc.org.

Ben Bullard
assistant Pastor

Ben was born and raised here in Charlottesville, VA. The Lord saved him at the age of 18 through the ministry of Young Life, and he began attending JPBC while studying at the University of Virginia. After spending several years doing data mining and predictive analytics, Ben came on staff at JPBC in 2014, where he continues to serve as assistant pastor. Ben earned his M.Div from Southern Seminary in 2020.

Contact: ben@jpbc.org

Brian Davis

Brian was converted at age 10 at Grace Baptist Church in central Long Island, NY when the Holy Spirit convicted him with the truth that he could never be good enough to earn God's favor but had to trust in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Originally from Alabama, his family moved around a lot before settling in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Brian met his wife Louise while they were both students at Emory University in Atlanta. Brian became a member at JPBC in 1998 after moving to Charlottesville from Berkeley, California, so Louise could pursue post-doctoral work at the University of Virginia. Brian is Director of Information Security at UVA. Louise is a Professor of Psychology at Mary Baldwin University in Staunton. Brian and Louise live in Crozet and have two adult children, Amanda and Noah.

JAMES DEAN

James became a believer in 2003 through the ministry of Central Baptist Church in Williamsburg, Ohio. He was not raised in a home with a Christian influence, but through the work of the Holy Spirit he was led to believe in Christ’s work on the cross at the age of 15. Early on as a believer James thought he might want to serve in ministry and his church gave him plenty of opportunities to teach the scriptures to the congregation and local youth groups. James pursued a bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Ministry from Campbellsville University where he served as the Baptist Campus Ministries president. After meeting his wife Shelby at Campbellsville University he then completed a Master of Theology in Biblical Studies before eventually pursuing a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He still has a few classes to complete at Southern Seminary. 

Professionally, James served in higher education administration for seven years before eventually becoming a Director of Children and Youth at another local Virginia congregation. He now serves as the Store Lead for Chick-fil-A Barracks Road and is in the process of applying to own his own restaurant in the future. James and his wife Shelby have three children: Isaac (2014), Ruth (2016), and Nora (2019). He has been a member of JPBC since 2016.

Donn Northup

Donn grew up in a Presbyterian family in Springfield, VA.  He received his undergraduate degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and attended the Naval Postgraduate School.  Donn’s naval service included multiple Mediterranean deployments during qualifying service in Surface Warfare.  Following a lateral transfer to Naval Intelligence, featured tours of duty included a two-year assignment on the United States Sixth Fleet Staff in Italy, and a three-year assignment as an Assistant Naval Attaché in the former Soviet Union.

After living with an all-too convenient and comfortable/uncomfortable relationship with God, resultant soulful unrest moved Donn to attend the first national Promise Keepers conference in Colorado approximately 30 years ago.  The Word pierced Donn’s hardened heart there, the Holy Spirit convicted him there, and the Lord, in His kindness, saved Donn as a sinner in need of His mercy and His grace there.  Donn was born in Denver, Colorado — and was born again in Boulder, Colorado.

Following military retirement, Donn went back to school for a Certificate in Biblical Studies from Capital Bible Seminary, and a Master of Arts in Counseling, as well as a Certificate of Advanced Counseling Studies from Regent University. 

Donn previously served in ministry as the Program Director for a Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Maryland, as well as an Associate Pastor of Pastoral Care at a church in the District of Columbia.  Donn then served on the staff of The Counseling Center at McLean Bible Church in Virginia for over ten years, and subsequently opened his own biblical counseling practice.

Donn is grateful that God was faithful and placed godly men and women in his life, encouraging him to mature in his faith.  Donn wants to be, as Benjamin Warfield once wrote, “… a student of theology (who) is brought by his daily task into the presence of God and is kept there.”  Following church membership and growth at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., and recent elder service at Franconia Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA, Donn is blessed by the opportunity to serve at Jefferson Park Baptist Church, which preaches Christ, and embraces the Great Commission. After residing in Northern Virginia for three decades, Donn moved down to Lake Monticello, where they joined JPBC in 2022.  Donn is married to his high school sweetheart Jill, and they have one daughter (Carly), one son (Bryan married to Lara), and two grandsons (Jackson and Connor).   

Matt Emerson

Matt was born and raised in Olney, MD. While he was involved with church growing up, he truly came to saving faith in Jesus Christ after his freshman year at Messiah College. Upon graduating, Matt worked for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for six years, primarily in Baltimore, MD. In 2019, he moved to Washington DC to intern at a church and then moved to Louisville, KY to pursue an M.Div at Southern Seminary. The Emerson family moved to Charlottesville in the summer of 2021 and Matt served as the Pastoral Assistant at JPBC for two years. Matt currently serves as the Director for Campus Outreach at the University of Virginia, which launched in the fall of 2023. Matt is married to Cecilia and they have two boys: Robbie (2020) and Daniel (2021). The Emerson family is expecting two additional family members this summer, as Cecilia is currently pregnant with twins. 

Josh Gong
Pastoral Assistant

Josh was raised in a Christian home in McLean, Virginia. The Lord saved him during his first year at the University of Virginia, as he began reading the Bible and was convicted of his sin and need for a Savior. Soon after, Josh began attending JPBC where the Lord grew his love for the local church and his desire to go into the ministry. After graduating, Josh came on staff to serve as a pastoral assistant. He is currently working towards his MDiv from Southern Seminary and hopes to eventually pursue missions work.

Contact: josh@jpbc.org

Hannah Case
Children’s Director

Hannah grew up in West Virginia with parents who shared the gospel with her from an early age. The Lord called her to salvation there. She came to JPBC for two summers as an intern to work with the youth and children in the early 2000s, became a member, and has been active with children’s ministry since. She has taught Sunday school, been a preschool teacher, organized and led VBS, taught children’s choir, and participated in various other activities. She is the mother of five children: John (2008), Sarah (2010), Timothy (2012), Moriah (2014), and Abigail (2016).

Contact: hannah@jpbc.org

Nick Wills
Administrator

Nick was raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. Throughout his teenage years, the Lord began to open his eyes to the depth of his sinfulness and convict his heart. After a long period of miserably seeking to justify himself, the Lord opened his eyes to the gospel through multiple sermons when he was 16 years old. It was through these sermons that he was finally converted. After being discipled for multiple years at a small Baptist church in Avon, Indiana, Nick headed off to Louisville where he earned an M.Div from Southern Seminary. Him and his wife, Shauna, moved to Charlottesville in the summer of 2024 to join the fellowship at JPBC.

Contact: administrator@jpbc.org