Director of North America Initiatives; Director of Communications
From 2011–2023, Joe Swords planted and pastored a church in Clio, Michigan. Through that work, the church helped plant three additional churches across the state. A central focus of his pastoral ministry was training young men to handle God’s Word faithfully, equipping them for gospel-centered, expositional ministry. He also helped to assess and coach church planters and pastors throughout the Midwest in gospel-centered preaching and leadership.
This long-standing commitment to the careful, transformative use of Scripture now finds a natural home in his work with WordPartners. In his role as Director of North America Initiatives, he is deeply invested in elevating God’s life-giving Word in the hearts, lives, and ministries of pastors and their people throughout North America. Through his work as Director of Communications, he seeks to highlight how God is spreading his Word powerfully through every church to every nation.
Joe and his wife, Ashley, were married in 2005. They currently live in Michigan with their five sons. They enjoy cidering in the fall, sugaring in the spring, and brewing home-roasted coffee year round. When time allows, they delight in traveling to epic landscapes and engaging in epic stories.
Joe received a B.A. in English from The University of Michigan—Flint in 2006 and an M.Div. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Christian Ministry in 2012. Joe continues to serve as a transitional preaching elder for Anchor Church in Howell, MI.
