Dr. Derek W. Miller is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana and a graduate of Indiana Purdue in Fort Wayne with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. After a brief time in the National Basketball Association with the Utah Jazz professional basketball team, he turned his attention to his field of study in law enforcement. Pastor Miller is now a retired Indiana State Trooper after almost twenty years of service in the law enforcement field.
After accepting his call to ministry in July 2002, he humbly served as an associate minister at the Place of Blessings (OCG) in Indianapolis, Indiana under the leadership of the Original Church of God or Sanctified Church Presiding Prelate, Bishop Warren Boyd until his current pastorate. Pastor Miller was shortly thereafter licensed to preach in 2003. God had placed on his heart to minister to men who had become despondent on life and were going through the tolls of homelessness. Thus, Pastor Miller dedicated himself to pursue his call by ministering to men. He became the campus chaplain at the local Men’s Mission in Indianapolis.
Unbeknownst to Pastor Miller, God was doing some “behind the scenes” things ordering his steps to be obedient and move from Indianapolis, Indiana to Nashville, Tennessee to accept his first pastorate. Pastor Derek Miller was voted by the Bethesda membership to serve as the pastor of Bethesda House of Healing (OCG) in Nashville, Tennessee. Thereafter, he received his ordination and installation as Bethesda’s current pastor. Now approaching his fifth year as pastor, Bethesda has been blessed with God-favoring growth in membership and expanding outreach ministry. Continuing his love for assisting men, he regularly instructs Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous at various transitional housing complexes for men and is employed at Tennessee Voices as a field counselor. He also has plans to release his first book entitled, “...and the Bible says” in 2023.
In 2017, Dr. Miller launched Derek Miller Ministries (DMM) which is a multigenerational ministry that includes leadership teaching components for laity as well as called men and women of the preached Word. Each year in September, Dr. Miller hosts the Prayer & Vision Conference (PV3) that sheds light on various situational issues and concerns that are affecting today’s church. Dr. Miller was awarded the Who’s Who in Nashville Upcoming Pastor Award by well-renowned gospel great, Dr. Bobby Jones. He was has also been selected as a Varnell Foundation 2018 recipient for outstanding community contributions. In April 2019, Pastor Miller received his Doctorate of Divinity Degree from St. Thomas Christian University in Jacksonville, FL.
Dr. Miller has always had a heart for God and an extensive agape love for people. He has a special ministry gift to reach into the lives of all people with love. His ministry is best described in Isaiah 61:1–2, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.” In short, Dr. Miller simply hashtags his ministry’s motto as #LoveCovers.
Dr. Miller is married to Pamela McDonald Miller. They have four beautiful children: Alexus, Derek II, Daniel, and Destiny.