Dr. Stephen Lowell Swisher is the Senior Pastor of Epworth United Methodist Church, cited as one of the most influential mainline Churches in the Midwest. Dr. Swisher is known as one of our Denominations most positive voices addressing our culture with an authentic and relevant message of hope. He is a fourth generation United Methodist leader and has served all types of Churches from small, new Church start, County seat and large Church appointments. These Churches have ranged in size from under 100 to more than 6,000 members.  

Dr. Swisher serves on numerous Conference leadership teams and is a frequent resource person at Clergy retreats across the Country often focusing on the use of media in connecting with nonreligious and nominally religious people. He is the recipient of the Harry Denman Award for Excellence in Evangelism from the Foundation for Evangelism in Nashville, Tennessee and the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church. He has also served as a Mentor and Adjunct Faculty member at United Theological Seminary in the areas of Preaching and Social Media.  In 2013 he was named Outstanding Alumnus of this Seminary, his Alma Matre.  

A master of explaining questions of faith in a down-to-earth fashion, his messages are heard weekly across the Midwest on WLMB TV 40, local channel 6. Swisher is often a featured writer in Christian periodicals and pens a popular weekly Column in The Toledo Blade where he answers questions about life and God from the general public. He is the author of God’s Way To Good Health published by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Press.  Dr. Swisher has twice been awarded a Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International and most recently has been named to Who’s Who In America.