Pastor Scott Miller

Scott Miller has been the Senior Pastor of Graceland since March 2004. Listed below is an interview that will hopefully help you get to know him and his vision for Graceland. Also, find out more about Pastor Scott's biblical values by clicking here.

Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, when my Dad, who was a career Army man, was stationed there. My father had a serious heart attack a year later and was medically discharged. We then moved to the East Coast and settled in the Charleston, S.C. area, where I graduated from high school.

Can you tell me a little about your conversion to Christ and your call to ministry?
I was raised in an unchurched home. All of us have our “gods,” and mine was sports. My greatest loves were baseball, football, and basketball. As a teenager I began searching for meaning and purpose in life. My God-shaped void, which every human being has, was asking for something beyond what this world could offer. A close friend cared enough to share her simple story of meeting Christ, and I began to notice the difference in some who were followers of Christ. I was invited by some brave friends to hear some Christian music and to go to a Christian summer camp. The negative stereotypes of Christianity were broken down. At this camp in western N.C., I heard the gospel and knew that I needed a Savior and wanted to follow Christ. On June 21 I received Christ as my Savior and Lord. I am so thankful that I had people who invested themselves in me as a new believer. I was discipled through Campus Crusade for Christ and in a community of students who met for worship and growth in a home in my community.

God began the process of calling me to ministry a year after my conversion. Six years later that call to church ministry was clarified, and I began the process of preparing to follow His call.

Where did you go to college and seminary?
I received a B.S. in Business from Mars Hill College, a small liberal arts college in N.C. I received a Master of Divinity from Southern Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry degree in Evangelism and Church Growth from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California.

Tell us a little about your love for missions and the mission projects you have been involved in.
God has blessed American believers for the purpose of resourcing the Great Commission, not for hoarding those blessings. It is our responsibility to be world Christians in our praying, giving, and going. I have had the privilege over the past decade to be involved in over 25 short term projects where partnerships with Great Commission Christians in other lands have been established. My goal is to initiate church planting and evangelistic partnerships on five continents and to mobilize American believers to be personally involved here and there (home and international missions).

Can you state for people what you believe God's vision for Graceland Baptist Church is?
God's vision for Graceland is to UPLIFT Christ and His people; to PREPARE believers for dynamic ministry; and to SEND them out in strategic mission. These three key words - UPLIFT, PREPARE, and SEND build the foundation for everything we do at Graceland.

1. The first priority is to UPLIFT CHRIST. We want to UPLIFT the name and cause of Jesus Christ every day and in every way. When Jesus is lifted up with clarity and relevance, people of all age groups are drawn to Him. We also seek to UPLIFT people. My prayer is that we as Christ-followers leave seeds of encouragement and hope in the hearts of everyone we encounter - whether we cross paths with them in our family, at the workplace, at school, in the community or in a church facility.

2. The second priority is to PREPARE God's people for dynamic ministry. Every Christ-follower is called to significant ministry. Therefore, our goal at Graceland is to equip and PREPARE each believer to make a difference in meaningful ministry wherever he/she is planted.

3. The third priority in God's vision for the church is to SEND. God desires to SEND each of us out in strategic mission. Let's take Christ to our family, to our neighbors, to our community and to the world. We cannot and must not keep such a life-changing Gift to ourselves! The world is hungry for authentic Christianity. The most fulfilled church people I have ever met are those who give and serve and go. Until Christ comes, we must go!