Grant is 34 years old and currently the Pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church in Austell, GA, a Seminary Student at Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and an Army Reserve Chaplain. Hope, his wife, is a 2nd-grade teacher at Henderson Mill Elementary School in Dekalb County. They expect a newborn girl, Ezra Marilyn Perry, on August 12th, 2024.
At Candler School of Theology, he learns how to engage with Christian Scripture and Tradition using reason and experience to learn more about God. Armed with that knowledge and preaching and teaching skills, he helps God make disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the world at Trinity UMC as a Pastor and in the U.S. Army Reserves as a Chaplain.
Before his current roles, he served in several positions in the United States Army, such as a Platoon Leader in the 101st Airborne, the Chief of Operations for 2 ABCT, 1st ID, and finally as Commander of C TRP, 5-4 CAV, 2nd ABCT, 1st ID, an armored cavalry troop. He also held civilian jobs as a warehouse supervisor and youth pastor during a brief break in his military service.
Hailing from Seven Hills, Ohio, Grant grew up in a suburb outside of Cleveland, Ohio. During his childhood, he attended Independence United Methodist Church and was active in the youth group. He participated in and helped lead six mission trips to various cities in the area. After graduating high school in 2008, he attended college at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. During college, he was in the R.O.T.C. program and majored in Criminology and Sociology. While in Athens, he regularly attended church at Athens First UMC and was able to participate in two mission trips to Honduras. Upon graduating in 2012, he attended Armor Officer training at Ft. Benning, GA, near Columbus. At his first duty station of Ft. Campbell, KY, he was very active at Madison Street United Methodist Church, volunteering with their youth group and even becoming employed there as a youth pastor during a break in military service from 2016-2017.
Rejoining the military in 2018 brought him back to Ft. Benning and Columbus, GA, where he attended the Maneuver Captains Career Course and regularly went to St. Luke United Methodist Church. He met his wife, Hope, at St. Luke (who worked there as a children’s minister) and married her there just over a year later in 2019. Grant currently lives in Atlanta, GA. He will graduate on the 12th of May and attend the Chaplain Basic Officers Leaders Course at Fort Jackson, S.C., from 15 May to 16 August 2024.
Grant loves exercising, cooking, spending time with his wife, exploring new places, and growing in his faith and calling as a Christian. He finds great meaning and responsibility in mentoring and coaching people in their professional and faith lives. You can often find him and his wife having friends over for dinner on the weekends or meeting new people in local hangouts.