As the founding pastor of Living Hope, Church in the Field, Jerry Jewell surrendered to a divine calling as a church planter and overseer to serve his Master, God Almighty, in whatever capacity God directed. Jerry’s journey began on December 27, 1992, and he was licensed to the Gospel ministry on April 12, 1993.

Within his ministry call, Jerry served on short-term mission trips to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, teaching and preaching in areas of Texas and Mexico from 1993 – 1999. 

Jerry responded to an opportunity to preach in-view-of-a-call, subsequently accepted the pastoral ministry at Second Baptist Church, Lampasas, on April 1, 1994. Shortly thereafter, he was ordained on May 22, 1994. He served as pastor of Second Baptist Church in Lampasas, Texas, until being called to serve as pastor of Country Chapel in Wheeler, Texas, in 1998. He faithfully served Country Chapel and resigned on July 1, 2002, returning to Copperas Cove to care for his mother. At this stage of Jerry’s ministry, and through the leading of God, he set on the journey of formal ministerial vocation, studying at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

During his studies, he served in various volunteer positions at Robertson Avenue Baptist Church in Copperas Cove from 2002-2004, as well as itinerant preaching assignments in central Texas, Idaho, and Illinois.

In the late 1990’s, the vision began for Living Hope: The Church in the Field, driven by 1 Peter 1:3 – 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

January 15, 2005, Living Hope-The Church in the Field in Copperas Cove, Texas, held its first public meeting in a 1200 square-foot leased space that had been part of a tanning salon owned by Darrell and Mai Thi Clenedenen. After a year of meeting in the leased property, the church purchased the property at 329 FM 3046 in the spring of 2006 where the ministry has stood for 20 years (as of January 2026).

Jerry completed an Advanced Degree in Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in December 2008, and then began Masters work at Southwestern in January 2009. He graduated with an Advanced Master of Divinity with a concentration in Archaeology in the spring of 2019 and is in the process of completing his thesis for a Theological Masters.

Jerry has worked with the archeological projects at Tel Gezer and Tel Berna in Israel under the leadership of Dr. Steve Ortiz since 2008 and intends to continue as long as God allows.

Jerry is joined in his ministry with his wife, Becky.  Nuptials were vowed on February 20, 1982. Jerry and Becky have 3 boys who are now raising their own families, adding fourteen grandchildren to the Jewell lineage.