Jerry Brantham, Senior Pastor

Pastor Brantham is a native of North Carolina and graduate of Tennessee Temple University and Temple Baptist Seminary of Chattanooga, TN, and he has been in ministry for almost four and a half decades. Pastor Brantham was a pastor in Winona, MN for seven years and has been the Senior Pastor of Southside since August of 1984. He and his wife Arleen reside in South St. Paul, MN and have three children and two grandchildren. Pastor Brantham’s focus in ministry is the teaching of the Word of God and the shepherding of the congregation that God has placed in his care. As Senior Pastor, he oversees the overall ministry, endeavoring to see Southside maintain vibrant and healthy Body life.

John Dawson, Assistant Pastor

John was born in Bethesda, Maryland and raised in Great Falls, Montana. Since his childhood, John was attracted to the ministry. Circumstances were such that he instead obtained a Bachelor of Science from Montana State University and a Master of Science and a PhD from Cornell University. John was an Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University for a time after completing his doctorate, but leaving that in 2000, he has since been employed in medical device research. John and his family have been a faithful part of Southside Baptist Church since 2005. In 2009, John was licensed by Southside to preach the Gospel, and in 2010 he was added to the staff as Assistant Pastor. It is John’s desire to continue growing in the ministry of pastoring: teaching, guiding, and encouraging believers in their faith in and knowledge of God and His Word, and exhorting unbelievers and disobedient believers to turn from sin in repentance and faith to God through His Son, Jesus Christ. John and Karen were married in August 1988 and have lived in the Twin Cities with their daughters, Rebecca and Audrey, since 2000.