Pastor Samuel Simoes has been the Lead Pastor of Northwest Church of the Nazarene since July 2019. Originally from Portugal, Pastor Sam has been involved in church plants in Ohio, Missouri, Kansas, and overseas on the island of Madeira, Portugal. Before taking the role of Lead Pastor at Northwest, he pastored in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, and Grafton, West Virginia. He holds a Doctor of Ministry and M.Div from Nazarene Theological Seminary and a B.A. from Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Religion and Sociology, Pastor Sam has been in full-time ministry since 2003, being Ordained in 2005 as an Elder. Through Ministry, Pastor Sam and his family have experienced a move from the established church to the community-relevant church, he is focused on the spiritual transformation of the community through the church. Pastor Sam is a devoted husband to JoAnne and has three children: Hannah (15), Isabel (14), and Colin (7). They live in the Gables neighborhood, Northwest Columbus.