Pastor Andrew Merritt was born in August 1995. Born and raised in Eastern North Carolina, Pastor Merritt grew up in a good, nurturing home. It was not until 2015, that he received Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. He was attending college at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro when God was pursuing after him to be saved. A college student that attended an independent Baptist Church near the college invited Pastor Merritt to church. Pastor Merritt had been specifically sought out through a mission given to this college student from the Pastor of this church. The Pastor knew Pastor Merritt and his family prior but had no contact with them from the time he was 4 until the time he was in college. Unsure of how the Pastor knew he was now at the college is still somewhat a mystery, but he gave the college student minimal details to find him. This student found Pastor Merritt and invited him to this church. After attending this church a few times, God started working in his heart and convicting him of his need for a Saviour. In October 2015, Pastor Merritt was under such heavy conviction from God moving in his heart that he knelt in his dorm room and trusted Jesus Christ as Saviour.

After serving and becoming more heavily involved in his home church and the ministries there, Pastor Merritt desired nothing more than to serve God with his whole life. Pastor Merritt has a degree in Speech Therapy and has worked in that field, but he knew that God was working mightily in his life about surrendering to serve God full-time. There was an overwhelming desire and earnest pursuit in Pastor Merritt’s heart to give his life in complete surrender to God. After seeking God through prayer and counseling with his Preacher, Pastor Merritt surrendered to preach the Gospel and serve God with his whole life.

In January 2019, Pastor Merritt began attending Commonwealth Baptist College in Lexington, KY. Since Pastor Merritt has a bachelor’s degree from college, he was able to continue to build on that degree. He met his wife, Katlyn, in the first few months of 2019 at the college. After many months of courting and knowing that they both wanted to spend their lives together serving God, Pastor and Mrs. Merritt were married in 2020.

Mrs. Merritt grew up in a good home in a Pastor’s family in Pennsylvania. She was saved at age 4 and was later reassured of her decision to trust Christ as Saviour at age 14. She surrendered her life to serve God and wanted nothing more to be in the ministry. Mrs. Merritt attended Commonwealth Baptist College and graduated with a degree in Office Administration in 2019. She loves nothing more than serving God with her husband and is excited for their future together.

Pastor and Mrs. Merritt planted the Upstate Baptist Church in October 2022 out the Clays Mill Baptist Church in Lexington, KY. Through a grand desire to serve God and being attentive to the leading of the Spirit of God, the Merritts are anticipating great things to come to pass as God uses them to minister to the people of the Capital District of New York. The Merritts came to the Albany area to start a church with the goal in mind to bring glory to God and lead as many people to Christ as they can. Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, but Pastor Merritt is leading the Upstate Baptist Church to fulfill Jesus Christ’s Commission – Go, Win, Baptize, and Teach.