Ashley River Baptist Church
Staff & Leaders

Dave Patterson

Pastor Dave, a South Carolina native, was born and raised in Hemingway, South Carolina. After receiving his BA degree from the University of South Carolina, he received his Juris Doctor from the USC School of Law and practiced law in Sumter, SC for 7 years. During this time he married Jennifer Kissling of Atlanta and they became heavily involved in the ministries of FBC Sumter. While in Sumter, Jenny obtained her Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education from USC and Dave was ordained both as a Deacon and as Minister of the Gospel. Sensing the call upon his life to pursue full time ministry, Pastor Dave and Jenny moved to Ft. Worth Texas where he attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and received his Master of Divinity degree. It was in 1989, while in Fort Worth that God blessed them with their only child, John Manning Patterson. Dave subsequently pastored Lakeview Baptist Church in Camden, SC for 7 years followed by an 8 year pastorate at South Main Street Baptist church in Greenwood, SC. Being a lifelong musician, pastor Dave had the privilege of leading the praise and worship service of Greer First Baptist for over a year before being called as pastor of Ashley River Baptist Church which duties began on April 11, 2007. Dave has been active in Baptist denominational life including serving on the Executive Committee of the South Carolina Baptist Convention General Board. Pastor Dave enjoys golf, fishing, music, computers, basketball, football, sports in general, table games, travel, movies, grilling out, eating in general, humor, and introducing the Gospel of Christ into the life situations of those he encounters on a daily basis. Pastor Dave believes in the Bible as the Divinely inspired Word of God without error and in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who loved everyone so much that He died on the cross to assume the punishment for the sins of the world, and thereby provide the only way by which people may be forgiven of their sins through faith in Him and be reconciled to God with the assurance of eternal life in Heaven.