When Joe Terreri ’06 was 19 years old, he sensed God’s call into the ministry. Not quite sure what to do with the new calling, he continued his studies at the University of Buffalo to become a school principal. Two years later, he made three decisions that would change the course of his life: to marry his girlfriend, Cheryl, to go to Valley Forge Christian College (VFCC), and to study to become a pastor. 

Not long after he received his Youth Ministry degree in 2006, Joe began serving at Spring Valley Community Church (SVCC) in Royersford, Pa. For four and a half years, Joe ministered faithfully in various roles in the church: as the Set-Up and Tear-Down Pastor, as the Youth Pastor, and as the Young Adults pastor at Chaplin’s, an off-site campus in Spring City.

“Because I worked with a leader who was willing to let me discover my strengths, I was given lots of opportunities to do lots of different things,” Joe said. It was through that process that he began to realize his talents, and allowed God to use his experiences to grow him into a leader and into a dynamic and inspiring preacher.

In 2011, Daniel McNaughton, the founding pastor of Spring Valley Community Church (and former VFCC professor), felt the Lord’s leading to move on. Joe was completely open to God’s plan for the church and for his life, but had no idea what would happen next. “One thing I did know,” Joe said, “was that I didn’t want to be at any other church. I could see myself at Spring Valley for a long time. My family and I felt loved, and my vision and love for the church was at an all-time high.”

In the summer of 2011, Joe was named the lead pastor of SVCC. He was just 29 years old.

“I’ve learned several things since taking on the lead pastor role. I learned that you can’t know the pressure of leading the church until you know it. I also have an ever-increasing sense of how deeply I need the Lord, how little I know, and how there is nothing to be afraid of because God is with me.”

Joe feels blessed to have been impacted by the VFCC family and, now, wants to do the same for all of the students who call SVCC “home.” He is honored to continue to embrace God’s call on the church to be an influence on the next generation of leaders being educated at VFCC, where he too, was influenced a short time ago.

Joe and Cheryl have three beautiful children: Joseph (5), Lucy (3), and Olivia (5 months).

To learn more about Spring Valley Community Church, visit their website.`