Rev. Joe Ellison
Vice President of Pastoral Relations and Church Ministries
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Pastor Joe Ellison, Jr. is the Vice President of Pastoral Relations and Church Ministries for the Virginia Pastors Coalition, which is an outreach of the Virginia Christian Alliance. He is also the former Executive Director and founder of Pastors for Family Values of The Family Foundation of Virginia. Pastor Ellison is the Senior Pastor and founder of Essex Village Evangelistic Church located in eastern Henrico, Virginia. The ministry consists of a church and outreach center. For 15 years, the ministry was located inside the Essex Village apartment complex. Pastor Ellison, along with his wife, Kendra, is considered one of the most innovative inner-city pastors in the country. He has brought to Richmond some of the most dynamic outreach programs that have inspired other ministries across the country.
Pastor Ellison and his wife have, in two trips, carried 150 at-risk children to Disney World and have monthly Senior Citizen outreaches. Pastor Ellison has been appointed to numerous positions such as Chief of Chaplain for Richmond City Jail, State Pastors Committee for Promise Keepers, Chairman of Mayors Commission on Youth Violence, Richmond Raceway Advisory Committee, appointed to White House Commission on Faith Based Initiatives by former Senator George Allen, appointed as the National Crusade Director of Urban Harvest, an affiliate of the Assemblies of God and as Bishop of Administration for Urban Harvest Fellowship of Churches. Pastor Ellison is a member of New Deliverance Fellowship Conference of Churches and ordained by Bishop Gerald O. Glenn, Chief Prelate and Overseer of Pastors for Family Values. Pastor Ellison has been awarded numerous honors such as Inner-City Pastor of the Year, Outstanding Community Leader, Omega Psi Phi Leader award, Gospel Times Father of the Year award and Regional Chaplain of the Year.
Pastor Ellison has received two Honorary Doctorate Degrees for extraordinary ministry and services. Pastor Ellison attended St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Virginia where he lettered in football before leaving to accept the call to the ministry. Pastor Ellison has appeared in numerous magazines, newspaper articles and on radio and television on urban, social and community issues. He is married to his childhood sweetheart, Kendra, and has one daughter and a granddaughter.
