Pastor Joshua Lehman was born and raised in the Metro Denver area of Colorado. He often says that through the faithful testimony of his mom, Brenda, he has been a part of a local New Testament church from the womb.

Josh’s leadership skills were evident from very early on. The doctors told his mom to enroll him in preschool even though he was only three at the time to “keep him out of trouble.” Through that decision, God worked powerfully.

Josh was saved at an early age under the influence of his principal, Tom Geer.

“I don’t remember who was preaching, or what was preached that night. I do remember the evangelist was left-handed, and I was excited. I am the only left-handed person in my immediate family. At the end of the service, I raised my hand for salvation, and Tom Geer, led me outside, picked me up, and put me on the tailgate of a reddish-orange pickup truck and showed from the Word of God how I could receive Jesus Christ as my Savior, and be born again. That was the day God authored faith in my heart and I became His child.”

Through the rest of Josh’s childhood and teenage years, God continued to refine Him to be a leader. Though not always faithful to God, Josh’s testimony reveals God is always faithful to His children. “He never quit working on me. Though I was fighting Him, He loved me and wouldn’t quit. I’m so thankful for God’s grace and mercy in my life.”

As a young man, Josh met the love of his life, Missy. The two were inseparable from the early days of their relationship and were married 14 months after meeting each other. Together, they have 6 wonderful children: Skyler, Makynza, Ayden, Ella, Benjamin, and Patience.

After fighting God for a few years, Josh finally surrendered to the Lord’s leading and publically answered the call of God to go into the pastorate. He finished up his bachelor’s degree in business management at Metropolitan State College of Denver and enrolled in Seminary at Crown College of the Bible. Concurrently, Josh also began a deeper study of the word of God through Faith Bible Institute, taught at his local church, Elmwood Baptist Church in Brighton, CO.

Josh was led to begin ministry at Elmwood Baptist Church in July 2007. He worked as an assistant pastor under Dr. Gary Randall. His primary responsibilities included administrating the Christian school, leading the children’s ministries, and handling the church’s finances. Over the years, Josh’s ministries changed, but he always remained faithful.

After about 10 years as an assistant pastor, God began working in Josh’s heart to become a senior pastor. After much prayer, fasting, and counsel, Josh and Missy stepped out by faith to the call of God in this area. Though it took a few more years, God’s timing is never wrong.

“The world was shut-down,” Josh recalls, “due to COVID-19. It was in this quiet time that I knew God was saying, ‘It’s time.’ By faith, we began praying for God’s will and guidance. He led us to Mount Vernon Baptist Temple. Almost immediately, I knew this was the church God had provided for us.” The process began with communicating with the deacons of the church, meeting the people, and ultimately candidating to become the senior pastor.  On October 11, 2020, in the midst of COVID-19, the church called Josh to become the next senior pastor.

The road trip from Colorado to Ohio began shortly after Thanksgiving. Through sickness and tire-fires, God safely led them to Ohio to begin this new stage of their lives.