About

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

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My Name is Joseph Allen– I grew up as a missionary in Brazil where I learned to play guitar. Currently, I am a farmer, youth pastor, and musician, living in Rusk Texas.

I have played guitar for 18 years.

I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA from Jacksonville College with an Associates Degree. I graduated with honors, Magna Cum Laude, highest in my class in my specific area of focus, with a Bachelor in Music and Ministry from East Texas Baptist University, and Cum Laude with my Masters in Pastoral Theology. My primary focus, that I graduated with, for my Bachelors, was guitar and worship. I was the lead guitarist for the choir, singers, and elite ensemble, Overcomers, at Jacksonville College. I was apart of the guitar ensemble and guitar trio at East Texas Baptist University. I have been a guest teacher for guitar instruction in one of the worship classes for East Texas Baptist University.

I have been leading in worship since I was eight years old and have played the guitar for sixteen years. During that time, I have played for crowds from two people to forty thousand people and televised as well as on social media with 1 million watching. I have traveled internationally proclaiming the gospel and leading worship in multiple languages. I have toured the United States and Brazil playing for all sorts of audiences such as national and state Baptist Missionary Associations, State meetings for the Southern Baptist of Texas convention, Houston Astros Baseball, State Capitol for the Governor of Texas, the State Fair of Texas, and I have been invited to perform with a select group of musicians at Carnegie Hall. I have played for some of the largest churches including a campus of Green Acres. I’ve opened for several professional musicians including Stephen Burnaman, The Purple Hulls, The Foto Sisters, Kadie Lynn from America’s got talent, and Sammy Kershaw’s back up for the National Anthem for the PRCA Rodeo. I have also played at the same conferences where bands, such as Legacy Five, have played. I have helped to lead worship for the author Jamie Ivey at ETBU Women’s conference. On several occasions, I have performed with the Shreveport Symphony and with musicians from the symphony for my own private performances. I have even been apart of Jeremy Camp’s stage crew for a day. I was also blessed to be apart of a select crew to debut an original piece by Sandi Patty. I have recorded with musicians who have played with many of the greats from the music industry. I auditioned for various schools to play for college where I received many full-ride opportunities to pay for my school.

I have done songwriting with a number one winning song writer Todd Wright titled Christ Has Come performed by the Todd Wright Band. The Album that the song Christ Has Come was on charted 8 on the top 10 Christian charts on iTunes, and was featured in CCLI Worship Leader’s Magazine in newest discoveries receiving the highest recognition of 3 categories as the whole package. The song is signed with Crossroad Publishing. The ladies ensemble arrangement made it’s debut at the state BMA (Baptist Missionary Association) meeting. The song has been listened to and looked at by christian artists such as Paul Baloche, Talleys, and more. Some of my hereos so I was honored they loved it! 🙂 On the Album there were a couple of number one award winning songwriters and it was a privilege and an honor to be apart of it.

I’ve attended several songwriter workshops and have learned from christian songwriters such as, Twila Labar, Jennie Lee Riddle, Sue Smith, Billy Foote, Todd Wright, Stephen Duncan, and Matt Armstrong. Some of the artists these writers have written for include: Phillips, Craig and Dean, Unspoken, Travis Cotrell, Newsboys, Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Passion, Aaron Shust, Selah, Jason Gray, Worship Together, Bebo Norman, Jimmy Needham, Zach Williams, Leeland, Kari Jobe, Hill Song, Jesus Culture, Veggie Tales, and more.

I’ve played as a special guest with The Singing Men of East Texas (singing men of Texas East) which has a full orchestra and choir with my percussion guitar arrangement of 10,000 Reasons.

I am currently in 3 bands, AllenBrothers, John Allen, and In His Steps. I am also a co-partner for the record label, Cross Timber Records.

On iTunes the freshman album, In His Steps, charted 68 on pop charts, has gone to four continents, and has been on Christian radio.

On iTunes John Paul Allen’s EP, Life Isn’t Fair, charted 36, and Truth Is No Emotion charted 14. John Paul Allen has even been given shout outs on secular radio and it’s all christian music.

I have recorded 21 singles and I have helped to co-write, produce, consult, and record 31 singles

My brother and I, formerly known as the Allen Brothers and now as John Paul Allen Band, have been recognized by people partnering with Fair Trade Music. Fair Trade Music is one of the largest Christian record companies in the nation who owns artists such as Newsboys, MercyMe, Phil Wickham, Micah Tyler, and more. We were approached by Jason Davis who is the Co-producer/Talent Scout partnering with Fair Trade Music. Around 1000 artists a year come before him and they pick around 12 to work with. My brother and I were selected and made the cut. We were offered a deal and recognized by Jason Davis as better players than anyone in Fair Trade Music except in the words of Jason Davis, “maybe Casting Crowns maybe,” with our original unique style of playing and composition. As the Allen Brothers, we have our very own YouTube channel called AllenBrothers which is about everything going on in our lives including our music and has nearly 10,000 subscribers with over 7 million views and counting.

I have helped write, arrange, and consult with music for professional musicians of all kinds like, worship leaders, college professors, artists, and more. I have been apart of consulting individuals on how to record music. Our latest work was apart of one song from the live show of, “The Knights of the Sherwood Forest.” I have also edited and mixed for Jacksonville College. I have taken a mini sound crash course with John Vance who has done sound for bands like DC Talk and more.

I have been taught by various guitar instructors, teachers and coaches with different backgrounds in music. Suleika Wedih taught me everything I know. I grew up being taught with the Brazilian guitarists. I learned fingerstyle, rhythm, Spanish, folk and blues. At my Junior College, Joe Teague and Mike Kellog gave me my first shot and trained me for my college career with a background in classical, Jazz and Dixy style as well as band music. At my main University, Andrew Pressley taught me the foundational technique in classical, Spanish, and Jazz style. I have also learned from Jake Fauber who plays guitar for Aaron Williams and others like Shane and Shane at the Worship Initiative and really everyone else haha! Love you Bro! He is a great teacher and a true friend. He coached me in lead guitar for Praise & Worship Genre. I have studied from professors, teachers and graduates of Juilliard. I have studied from teachers and material of Berklee. I have taken lessons, online classes, or master classes with various others like Jeffrey Kundy, guitarist for Jesus Culture, Phil Keggy, Worship Initiative, Ben Clark (Banjo Ben) bluegrass style, Tobias Raucher Percussive Fingerstyle Guitar, Alexander Misko, Claus Levin, Maneli Jamal, Geordie Little percussive lap and finger style, ToneBase, Tomo Fujita and others.

Of course, I grew up playing in house Church were I learned to play in worship with hymns and contemporary music. My personal favorite genre was always playing and listening to Christian Rock. I always say I had the best of both worlds growing up. I had hymns Sunday morning and Christian Rock like DC Talk with Jesus Freak and more during the week! Christian music is more than a passion to me it is a calling. Today, I only play Christian music. This gift is not my own ability. It comes from the Lord. He gave it to me so I want to give it back to Him. The way I look at it is there will only be Christian music in Heaven after I die and leave this world so I want to live for Heaven today.

In person and across all of my online platforms, I have taught guitar for the last 10 years teaching over 40,000 musicians across six continents.

Some of my content has been featured on the Beginner Guitar HQ newsletter which is one of the largest guitar blog sites in the world with 100,000 followers on their newsletter. Beginner Guitar HQ said my blog was, “Solid resource and wonderful blog”

Jason Davis Partnering with Fair Trade Music said about my brother and I, “Better players than anyone in Fair Trade Music except maybe Casting Crowns… maybe.”

CCLI Worship Leader’s Magazine featured and described the song, Christ Has Come, that I helped co-write with John Paul Allen and Todd Wright as, “the whole package.”

I have released 2 guitar books. This method of teaching is having great success with a 400 percent increase of students learning guitar. The most unique aspect about my guitar books is it’s all Christian music. My Christian guitar books are one of a kind and do not exist anywhere else.

I have also influenced some chapters from the book, “Radically Altered Christ Formed In You,” by the author D. R. Allen who is a contributing author for Nexus: The World House Church Movement Reader as well as co-authoring two books in Brazil focused upon the Hunsrik language, and has also partnered with the Hunsrik people, The Hunsrik Bible Translation Project, the Brazilian Bible Society, Wycliff and it’s affiliate The Seed Company.

My parents, brother and I served as missionaries in Brazil for over a decade in church planting and Bible translation. Now, we continue to do so independently. We worked to create an orthography for a people called Hunsrik. This people group was so far from the Gospel the Words mercy and sacrifice do not exist. Now, the Hunsrik people, in search of mercy, have a New Testament Bible in their language for the first time, a FREE digital Bible, 79 audio Bible stories givng an overview of the Bible, several children Bibles stories, and the Jesus Film just released in their language so they can now see the Jesus and the story of the cross on the big screen for the very first time. Currently, we are working towards and audio Bible and then to finish the translation of the Old Testament. We have helped to consult and influence the Palmeranian Bible translation. God is blessing the Hunsrik Bible translation project so much that the translation project is beginning to be used as the flagship to show the need for other translation and unreached people groups around the world. The Hunsrik language is now on google translate. These Hunsrik people were once persecuted for speaking their language. Now, their language is protected by state and federal law. Not only that but other languages are now being protected and allowed freedom because of what God is doing in His work.

I served in the area of worship at Tyler Street Baptist Church for 6 years. During this time, I was asked to play for worship, lead worship, pick songs, engage in missions and outreach, and help put together vacation Bible School.

I served as youth pastor for 5 years at First Baptist Church Jefferson, Texas. I taught Sunday School as well as lead Youth worship and Bible study on Wednesday evenings. As the Youth worship leader, one of the first things that I did was to focus upon restarting Wednesday night youth worship. This has required teaching church members to play in the praise team. In November 2020, my pastor became ill with Covid-19 that resulted in a five month hospitalization. During this time, I was called upon by the church leaders to preach in the Sunday morning and evening worship services as well as serve in various pastoral roles.

I completed an internship at Fellowship
Church as student pastor working in associate pastoral roles,
preaching, teaching, putting literature together for the church,
serving in the area of missions and in administration.

I served as International Chaplain at the largest Christian orphanage, Chain of Love, in Brazil for one year. I helped take care of all spiritual needs of the kids, staff and house parents, mentor the new national chaplain, teach Bible studies, lead worship, preach, hospital visits and translate. I wore many hats such as running sound and media and whatever the need may be.

My Overall Experience in Ministry

I have served through the local church, Jacksonville College, and E.T.B.U in various areas including youth ministry, pastoral care, preaching, worship, sports team chaplain, teaching music, missions, discipleship, songwriting, video editing and design, translating, and agriculture.

My Calling to Ministry

This wide variety of experiences came as result of growing up overseas as a missionary and led to a deep sense that the Lord was calling and preparing me for the ministry. In June 2017, I was licensed to the Gospel ministry by my home church: Tyler Street Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Texas

At Jacksonville College, I was apart of the Chapel Praise Team and Choir President at Jacksonville College. I was a Team member on the chapel praise team 2013 through 2015.

• Various tasks I have had to do include leading in worship, playing guitar, setting up and running the sound equipment, selecting worship songs with the worship team, preaching, sharing scripture, testimonies, slides with lyrics, taught President of Jacksonville College Mike Smith’s Bible class when he was off campus and represented Jacksonville College speaking at various, associational events on behalf of President Mike Smith.

At East Texas Baptist University, I was involved in: recruiting, guitar ensemble, guitar trio, concert choir, men’s choir, Bible studies, and praying on campus. I also worked as a campus security officer and in the landscaping department.

My accomplishments in Education include: Phi Theta Kappa (National Honor Society), President’s list at Jacksonville College & E.T.B.U. Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges, Member of Phi Theta Kappa Society, Jacksonville College Curtis M. Carol Award of Merit (highest award in music), Jacksonville College Kelly Rae Davis Award (highest christian leadership award), Jacksonville College Outstanding New Testament Student, E.T.B.U. Outstanding Student in Men’s Choir and E.T.B.U. Deans List

Affiliations I have been apart of include Southern Baptist Convention, Southern Baptist Convention of Texas, Baptist Missionary Alliance through Baptist Missionary, Association Theological Seminary and Bible Church.

Experience in the Gospel Ministry

I Supply Preach at various local Baptist churches including SBC, SBTC and BMA.

• Instruments I Play Leading in Worship:

Play guitar skillfully from 7 strings, 12 strings, Spanish classical guitar, baritone, mando guitar as well as various percussion instruments, basic keyboard, bass, xylophone, Kalimba, Banjo, Ukelele, Mandolin,

I love guitar and testing the boundaries of what it can do. I like to make my guitar sound like any instrument I can think of. I love arranging and my record has been 1 song with 40 layers of just guitar. So many people love to play a lot of things at once. I get it. That is my thing with one man band style playing. However, sometimes less is more. Playing one chord shape over an entire song or even one note and finding the specific timbre can be a game changer as a guitarist or musician.

Played for worship in Brazil, worship at First Baptist Church Rusk: student ministry, Tyler Street Baptist Church: Worship Services Team, Green Acres Baptist Church South Campus: student ministry, Jacksonville College Chapel, Choir, and Ensemble, Founding member of ‘Til We’re Gone Christian band leading worship in local churches, Led worship for the AMPED East Texas Youth Conference, Have organized and led worship in multiple one night revival meetings, Organized independent youth camps, fundraisers and retreats. Have taught youth praise teams to lead worship with 10 musicians playing various instruments at F.B.C. as well as for the youth to run sound and media.

I am Bi-Lingual in English and Portuguese and can communicate and understand with around 7 different languages. I have served as a translator for various mission groups in Brazil International Mission Board: Discipleship, Vacation Bible School. I have lead teams for opening/closing assemblies for a half-dozen years developing skits and leading the children’s music classes at Green Acres South, Tyler Street Baptist, and F.B.C. Jefferson. I have been apart of playing and leading worship in multiple languages.

My Testimony

Together with my family, we served as missionaries in Southern Brazil in the area of church planting and bible translation from 2000-2012 and now do so independently. This had a profound impact upon my life. During this time, God began to mold me into the man I am today leading me to the understanding that although I am a sinner, as all men are, I have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. I know that the best offering that I could bring is little more than rags before the Lord. Therefore, His mercy and grace challenge and inspire me to live a life of faith whereby I reach for more than what I am able to grasp. It is my faith that leads me to live beyond mediocrity walking with Him in the light because Christ sacrificed everything for me so should I not be willing to do the same for Him. I am called as we all are called to live a radically altered life (Galatians 4:19) through Jesus Christ as a living sacrifice going higher, deeper, and farther still in my walk with the Lord living each day as though it were my last. I was once challenged if there is something in my life that I invest my time in and isn’t wrong yet doesn’t draw me closer to God then why not cast it aside and consider it wasted time? While there is so much yet to accomplish in regard to my walk with Him, I continue to reach and strive for those things that honor my Savior Jesus Christ. My greatest dream, if ever I am so lucky, is to one day hear my Savior say, “well done my good and faithful servant well done.” In June 2017, I was licensed to the Gospel ministry at my home church, Tyler Street Baptist and I desire to continue serving the Lord in Christian ministry through the local church and involvement in missions.

Short Summary

Joseph Allen was homeschooled, received an Associate of Science in 2016 from Jacksonville College, a Bachelor in Music and Ministry from East Texas Baptist University in 2019, and a Master of Arts from the Baptist Missionary Association Seminary in 2024.

He grew up in Brazil where he and his family served as missionaries to the Hunsrik people for twelve years. As a missionary, he lead worship together with his family from a young age. He and his family focused upon church planting and Bible translation before returning to Texas in 2011. He served at Tyler Street Baptist Church in worship ministry for five years, in youth ministry at F.B.C. Jefferson for five years, student pastor at Fellowship Bible Church while finishing seminary, loves making many mission trips where he served as the international pastor of the Chain of Love, the largest Christian orphanage in Brazil and serves a pastor at Atoy Baptist Church in Rusk Texas.

In 2022, his family was blessed to see the New Testament published for the Hunsrik people and in 2023 the Jesus Film was completed. Joseph enjoys returning to Brazil as much as possible to serve in a children’s home as well as continuing to work with the Hunsrik people.

Joseph Allen is married to his beautiful wife Marisol Allen and like Abraham they love serving the Lord wherever He may call.

He enjoys working hard on the family farm, playing guitar in worship and playing in the John Paul Allen Band which focuses on Christian music and worship.