Pastor Nelson Mercado has served as pastor in the KY-TN Conference since 2012 after graduating with a BA in Theology from SAU in Collegedale, TN. His first assignment was Murfreesboro/Tullahoma/Decherd Church district where he served for 6 years. Before he was a pastor, he worked as a paramedic for the Philadelphia Fire Department where he served for 11 years as both paramedic and firefighter and also worked as a paramedic for Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga for 4 years. He served our country in The US. Navy where he served as a Hospital Corpsman. Pastor Mercado graduated in December of 2019 with a master’s in ministry with a concentration in Evangelism and Missions from Southern Adventist University. He has been married to his high school sweetheart Lucy since 1990. They have two kids, Jean Luc who is 28 and works as a payroll specialist, and Ariana who is 22, a student at Andrews University.
Pastor Mercado is passionate about evangelism and making friends in the community.