Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Podcasts
    • Stuck in the Middle With You ↗
    • Madang with Grace Ji-Sun Kim ↗
    • Highest Power: Church + State ↗
    • Non-Disclosure: The Silenced Stories of Kanakuk Kamps Survivors ↗
    • Change-making Conversations ↗
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Associated Baptist Press Foundation
    • Planned Giving
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site

Transitions for the week of 8-18-23

NewsBarbara Francis  |  August 17, 2023

Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly.


STAFF CHANGES

Bob Baker, to Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, Huntington, W.Va., as interim pastor.

Julia Butler, to First Baptist Church, Waco, Texas, as associate pastor of college and missions. She comes from the Texas Baptist Historical Collection, where she was senior researcher.

Caleb Cooke, to First Baptist Church, Columbia, Mo., as pastoral resident.

David Cushman, to The Baptist Church in the Great Valley, Devon, Pa., as interim pastor.

Allie Ford, to First Baptist Church of Christ, Macon, Ga., as interim director of youth ministries.

Mark Gaskins, to Murfreesboro (N.C.) Baptist Church, as pastor, effective Oct. 1. He comes from the pastorate of Temple Baptist Church, Wilmington, N.C.

Tom Grubbs, to First Baptist Church, Brandon, Fla., as ministries activities center director. He comes from First Baptist Church, Tallahassee, Fla., where he was minister of recreation.

William A. Guy, to First Baptist Church, Dover, Del., as interim pastor.

Monica Hall, to First Baptist Church of Levittown-Fairless Hills, Levittown, Pa., as pastor.

Mark Hampton, to First Baptist Church, Augusta, Ga., as director of young adults.

Cynthia Insko, to Faith Baptist Church, Georgetown, Ky., as interim children’s minister.

Michael Jennings, to First Baptist Church, Lenoir, N.C., as minister of worship and music.

Lisetta Layer, to Park Cities Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, as preschool minister.

Debra Lee, to The Baptist Church in Warren, Conn., as pastor, effective Aug. 27. She will also serve as part-time pastor of First Baptist Church of Swansea.

Julie Long, to First Baptist Church of Christ, Macon, Ga., as interim director of staff and congregational life.

Cynthia McCreary, to Berea Baptist Church, Rockville, Va., as children’s special needs director.

Bert Montgomery, concluding his tenure after 15 years as senior pastor of University Baptist Church, Starkville, Miss. He will relocate to Louisville, Kentucky, to begin a chaplaincy program with Baptist Health Services.

Jeff Morgan, to First Baptist Church, Milledgeville, Ga., as senior pastor.

Janet Hilliard Pace, to First Baptist Church, Winfield, Kansas, as pastor.

Carla Parker, to First Baptist Church, Augusta, Ga., as interim director of children’s ministry.

David Peppler, to Kilmarnock (Va.) Baptist Church, as interim pastor.

Jerry Shields, to First Baptist Church, Brownwood, Texas, as pastor. He comes from the pastorate of First Baptist Church, Colorado City, Texas.

Paul Sims, to First Presbyterian Church, Lexington, Ky., as interim director of music and the arts.

Bethany Smith-Mullins, to First Baptist Church, Ashland, Va., as youth director.

Junior Austin White, to Noank Baptist Church, Groton, Conn., as pastor.

 

ORDINATIONS

Drew Goins, ordained to ministry on Aug. 6 by First Baptist Church, Maryville, Tenn., where he is FLC and senior adult pastor.

Noah Greer, ordained to ministry on Aug 6 by First Baptist Church, Meridian, Miss., where he is youth minister.

Lauren Evans Hamilton, ordained to ministry on Aug. 16 by First Baptist Church, Clemson, S.C., where she serves as director of family ministries.

Lauren Neal, ordained to ministry on Aug. 6 by First Baptist Church, Clinton, Tenn., where she serves as minister of children.

Rebecca Sires, ordained to ministry on Aug. 13 by Trinity Baptist Church, Seneca, S.C., where she serves as children’s minister and preschool director.

Sandra Spaulding, ordained to ministry on Aug. 16 by Lakeville (N.Y.)  Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Bottskill, N.Y.

Robyn Wilson, ordained to ministry on Aug. 20 by First Baptist Church, Kingsport, Tenn., where she serves as upward sports director.

Kelly Chapman Zytynski, ordained to ministry on Aug. 13 by The Baptist Church of Beaufort, S.C., where she serves as director of preschool and children’s ministry.

 

KUDOS

ANNIVERSARIES

Bert Montgomery, 15 years as senior pastor of University Baptist Church, Starkville, Miss.

CHURCHES

First Baptist Church, Waynesville, N.C.; 200 years; Aug. 27.

 

Baptist News Global provides a free listing of ministry-related jobs for Baptist churches, theological institutions and organizations across the United States. Click here to learn more.


In case you missed them:

Transitions for the week of 8-4-23

Transitions for the week of 7-21-23

Transitions for the week of 7-7-23

Transitions for the week of 6-23-23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • More
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
More by
Barbara Francis
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Check out our podcasts

     

     

    Stuck in the Middle
    With You

     

    Madang
    With Grace Ji-Sun Kim

     

     

    Highest Power
    Church+State

     

     

    Non-Disclosure:
    The Silenced Stories
    of Kanakuk Kamps Survivors

     

    Change-making
    Conversations

     

     

  • Politics • Faith • Resistance: by Greg Garrett

    BNG interview series on the state of faith, politics and resistance in our nation.

    See also Greg’s series on Politics, Faith and Mission

     

  • Featured

    • Islamophobia is the next bogeyman

      Opinion

    • The Black Church cannot remain America’s emergency moral infrastructure

      Opinion

    • We are manna

      Opinion

    • Webinar explores religious context of America’s Founders

      News


    Curated

    • Staunch Israel critic and Gaza trauma surgeon Adam Hamawy wins NJ-12 primary

      Staunch Israel critic and Gaza trauma surgeon Adam Hamawy wins NJ-12 primary

    • Elderly Christian Among 31 Sentenced In China Church Crackdown

      Elderly Christian Among 31 Sentenced In China Church Crackdown

    • In U.F.O. Files, Some Christians See Vexing Questions — and Demons

      In U.F.O. Files, Some Christians See Vexing Questions — and Demons

    • Christian theologians react to the pope’s ai warning

      Christian theologians react to the pope’s ai warning

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2026 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS
    • 129