

Jordantown Wesleyan Church came about through the interest of the Rev. L.R. Higgins, a local preacher in the Second Wesleyan Methodist Church of Roanoke (later called Fallon Park Wesleyan, and now Parkway Wesleyan Church). In early Spring of 1936 the first services were held on the grounds of Jordantown School. Many of these service were held outside beneath the trees, with a small portable organ perched on a tree stump.
On May 28, 1938 the church was officially organized by the Rev. John R Clement with only nine charter members. Rev. L. R. Higgins was installed as the first pastor of the church, which resided in the old Jordantown School building.
Over the years the church grew in many ways, including the purchase of an adjoining lot to the church property on which a parsonage was built. In 1958 the building underwent construction to add Sunday school classrooms onto the existing sanctuary.
In the 1990’s, the church began to consider building a new facility, and in 1996 the church was approved for a short term loan for the purchase of property and a parsonage off of Jordantown Road. The small congregation was able to pay the loan in full by January 2001– quite a feat!
In 2005 the vision of a new facility was renewed by Reverand Greg Criswell, and in spite of many challenges Jordantown was able to open the doors to the new building on October 2, 2011, holding an official dedication service on November 13, 2011.
In 2023, through the volunteer efforts of many church members, the old barn on the property was emptied, gutted, and transformed into a versatile meeting space meant to serve the Jordantown community for many years to come.
Former Pastors and Their Dates of Service:
Rev. L.R. Higgins 1936-1947
Rev. S.D. Hill 1947-1948
Rev. P.S. Shell 1948-1949
Rev. John R. Powell 1949-1950
Rev. O.B. Cook 1950-1952
Rev. William M. Phillippe 1952-1957
Rev. J.T. Mostiler 1957-1959
Rev. Edward E. Shepherd, Sr. 1959-1963
Rev. James A Matherly 1963-1964
Rev. S. Earl Reynolds 1964-1970
Rev. Earl P. Fisher 1970-1974
Rev. Sam Gillenwater 1974-1975
Rev. George Puffenbarger 1975
Rev. Roger Belton 1975-1977
Rev. Robert “Bob” W. Phaup 1978-2000
Rev. David L. Walters 2000-2005
Rev. Gregory A. Criswell 2005-2011
Dr. James B. Keaton, Sr. 2011- 2015
Rev. Matt Reynolds 2015-2020
Rev. Lewis Brandon 2020-Present
