As participants in the free church tradition, we believe that all followers of Christ are called to be ministers. We are blessed with the following staff positions. If you would like to contact one of our ministers, you can send them an email by clicking on his or her name.
Pastor – Brandon Hudson
Brandon has been Pastor of Northwest since September 2007. Prior to this, Brandon ministered to students in various ways including youth ministry, teaching at a community college, tutoring college students, and leading worship.
A native Texan, Brandon is a graduate of George W. Truett Seminary (“05 – M.Div in Theology) and Texas Tech University (“02 – BA in English).
Brandon is married to Jill and has a daughter, Sophia, and a son, Quinn. Their family includes two terrific canines, Tucker and Bella.
Formation Minister – Ellen Strickland
Ellen Strickland has been Minister of Formation since March 1, 2008. Prior to this, Ellen served Northwest as Visitation Pastor since September 2005. She has over 20 years experience leading women’s Bible studies in Baptist churches in four states. As a volunteer, she has participated in missions activities both at home and abroad including earthquake relief to Turkey.
A native North Carolinian, Ellen is a graduate of Meredith College (’76 – BA in Religion) and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (’04 – M.Div with Christian Education).
Ellen is married to Rob who is a staff anesthesiologist at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Their son Matt is a doctoral student at Duke University.
Music Minister-Brent Jones
Brent began his ministry through music at Northwest in August of 2008. He previously worked as a choir director at Brimm’s Grove Baptist Church and has 27 years of experience in retail music sales.
In addition to his gifts for directing the choral ministry, Brent himself is an accomplished musician – with the ability to play the piano, trumpet, guitar, and sing.
Brent is married to Barbara and has three college aged children.
Youth Minister-Pete Mikeal
Peter Mikeal has been the Youth Minister since October 2011. Peter has served in similar roles while a college student at Wake Forest University (’08 – BA in Religion and Spanish) serving as intern to youth at Lloyd Presbyterian and later at United Baptist Church. During the summer of 2006 and 2007, Peter served as the youth leader at Tredegarville Baptist Church with the North Carolina Baptist Association in Cardiff, Wales.
Peter works full-time as an Account Executive at Ricoh. He is a native North Carolinian, born in Raleigh, and recognizes Wake Forest University as the true University of North Carolina. He enjoys cheering on the Deacs and cooking alongside his wife, Heather. Peter and Heather are the proud owners of a Chocolate Lab, Berkley.