Pastor was born in Muenster, Texas in 1953. He has been in ministry in the local church since 1969. He graduated from Baptist Bible College in 1977, with a degree in theology. He has been a senior pastor since 1986. His first senior pastorate was at Northwest Baptist Church in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where he served for seven years. He then went to Calvary Baptist Church in Taylorville, Illinois, where he served for twelve years. In January of 2005, he became the senior pastor of Bethany. Pastor and his wife, Brenda, have been married since 1977. They have two children, Andrea, who lives in Melbourne, and Greg, who lives in Boynton Beach, Florida. Pastor Branch is also the president of Bethany Christian School.