Morgan Park Baptist Church

Rev. Dr Joel R. Mitchell
Biography

Rev. Dr. Joel Mitchell was born and raised in Chicago, IL. He attended Leo Catholic H.S on the city’s south side. Upon graduating he attended Western IL University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Communication and Human Relations.

In July of 2002, Rev. Mitchell acknowledged and accepted God’s call on his life. Rev. Mitchell was licensed to the Gospel Ministry at Mount Hermon M.B Church of Chicago, IL. In 2010 Rev. Mitchell was ordained at Saint John Church Baptist, by the National Baptist Convention USA.

In 2013 Rev. Mitchell earned a Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary. In 2018 Rev. Mitchell earned his Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Care and Counseling from Chicago Theological Seminary.

Rev. Joel Mitchell is an ordained and licensed minister who has worked in the field of social services for over 25 years. Over the past 25 years, he’s worked with diverse target populations, including wards of the state, at-risk teens, homeless residents and individuals impacted with substance abuse, mental illness and HIV/AIDS.

In May of 2019, Rev. Mitchell retired from The Department of Family and Support Services where he served as the Deputy Commissioner for over ten years. As Deputy Commissioner, he provided oversight to the Human Services, Workforce Service, and Emergency Service Divisions.

Rev. Mitchell provided oversight of Chicago’s 6 Community Service Centers, which offered a wide range of services to low income communities. These centers served over 30,000 individuals per year. In addition, Rev. Mitchell led the Departments Workforce Division, which had a budget of over $10 mil and funded over 100 delegate agencies. Rev. Mitchell also served as the Departments Emergency Services lead and in 2017 led the department’s efforts to stand up a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) for thousands of residents from Puerto Rico who were displaced by Hurricane Maria.

Rev. Joel works with his wife Rev. Naomi Mitchell and together they have organized several ministries, including The Family and Marriage Institute of Chicago a Faith Based 501c3 Non-Profit Organization and The Marriage Investors. Through these ministries the Mitchell's provide pastoral care and coaching to individuals, married couples, and families. The Mitchell's are also the co-authors of the book "Shattered how to Overcome a Broken Marriage" and the companion workbook titled “Shatter-Proof”.

Over the past five years they have fostered relationships with numerous churches and faith leaders across the nation. Dr. Mitchell and his wife, Rev. Naomi Mitchell, are highly sought-after speakers and trainer. During this time they have provided educational trainings, seminars and retreats for couples, churches and ministry leaders nationwide.

The Mitchell’s core belief is that healthy individuals, produce health marriages, healthy marriages produce healthy families and healthy family help build healthy communities.

Rev. Mitchell shares his life and love with Rev. Naomi Mitchell. Together they have three wonderful children, a set of 17-year-old twin boys Jasper Caleb and Jacobi Israel, a 14-year-old daughter, Sidni Joi and a 6-year-old Golden Retriever named Max.