Our Pastors

Pastors Joe and Ruth Nieves

Senior Pastors

Pastors Joe and Ruth Nieves became the Senior Pastors of Transformation Church on May 3, 2009. Together, they bring passion, vision, and leadership to our church and community.  

Pastors Joe and Ruth were married in June 1997, and have two sons, Joey (24), Josiah (18), and Seth who went to be with Jesus on April 10, 2004. Prior to entering Bible College, Pastor Joe had dreams and aspirations of being a New York State Trooper. He earned an Associate’s Degree in Police Science from Orange County Community College, Middletown, NY, and attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. After a radical encounter with Jesus at Times Square Church in New York City, God changed the course of his life, and he answered the call to ministry. In 1994, he enrolled in Zion Bible Institute, which is now Northpoint Bible College. Pastor Joe graduated in 1997 from Northpoint Bible College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Bible, majoring in Pastoral Studies and minoring in Christian Education. He was ordained in 2001.  

Pastor Joe was born and raised in the Bronx, NYC. When he was a teenager, he and his family moved to the Middletown area. He graduated from Pine Bush High School where he played 4 years of football. He loves the New York Yankees and the New York Giants. He enjoys reading, working out, hiking, doing yard work, drinking coffee, and watching a good, clean movie with his family. 

Pastor Ruth is also a credentialed minister and Pastors alongside her husband as the Co-Pastor of Transformation Church. She was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She graduated from John Dewey High School in Brooklyn. She attended Orange County Community College in Middletown, NY, and Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL. She completed her ministerial training through Global University. Pastor Ruth loves Hallmark movies, cooking, baking, antiquing, and drinking tea by the fire.  

Pastors Joe and Ruth together began ministry as Youth Pastors at Providence Assembly of God in Providence, RI. After serving in Providence, they left to Boston to plant a church that they called International Worship Center in Roslindale, MA. After several years in Boston, God called Pastors Joe and Ruth to Western Massachusetts to pastor a church there until 2009.  

Under their leadership, the churches they pastored experienced remarkable growth and impact in their communities. In 2009 God opened the doors for them to come back home to Middletown, Orange County, NY, and Pastor the Church he grew up in. Since arriving in 2009, Transformation Church has grown from 100 people to over 1,000 people. Over 5,000 people have made a public decision to begin a relationship with Jesus, and over 850 people have been water baptized. Pastor Joe says, “Ruth and I are honored and humbled to be a part of this exciting time of growth at TC. We believe we are exactly where God wants us to be and that the best is yet to come!”