Jerry States was raised in the Punxsutawney Pennsylvania area. He lived on a farm until leaving home to marry Barbara Lingenfelter in 1967, at which time they began their family of four children.
In 1969 he was saved and in 1971 God called him to pastor. He attended Appalachian Bible College, was assistant Pastor at Glenview Baptist in West Virgina before becoming the pastor at Idamay Bible Church in 1978. Jerry and Barbara also served as missionaries under the Kentucky Mountain Mission for several years.
After leaving Idamay in 1997 he was involved as being an assistant pastor in North Carolina, preaching at a campground, construction, and teaching construction in the SAS program at the Bob Jones University in South Carolina. He was the administrator of a christian retirement village in Florida, built cabins at Cedine Ministries in Tennessee and then became pastor of the Tidioute Baptist Church in Tidioute Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2010.
During his time at Tidioute Baptist he began to write "The Pastor's Corner." Because of poor health in 2010 he had to leave Tidioute and move to Carrollton Kentucky to be closer to family. He continued writing a devotion each week but called it "The Preacher's Page". When these were combined they became "Choice Morsels from the Word."
During the last ten years Jerry was diagnosted with five major health problems. Jerry continued to serve the Lord during his battle with cancer and was called home on August 4th, 2013.