JACKSONVILLE, Fla.. (ABP) – First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Fla., has elected Donald McCall “Mac” Brunson as pastor, confirming speculation about a leadership change in one of the nation's largest congregations.
Brunson, 48, preached in the Feb. 19 Sunday morning worship service, which was followed with a business meeting in which congregants approved the nomination. Church leaders have yet to set a date by which the appointment will take effect.
The move is unique for Brunson's current church, First Baptist of Dallas, which has not had a pastor leave for another church in more than 100 years. It comes as no surprise, however, to Baptist insiders. According to earlier ABP reports, Brunson asked his Dallas congregation on Jan. 8 to pray for him concerning a life-changing decision, though he declined to expound on the details.
“Mac Brunson has made it known for quite some time that he feels strongly that God has called him to preach,” First Baptist, Dallas, deacon Mark Lovvorn told the Dallas Morning News. “This will be a great fit for him. This is a 10,000-seat auditorium. Even though we have a large congregation, they have even more that attend Sunday morning services.”
A statement on First Baptist of Dallas' Web site said the church “has grown spiritually and in number under Dr. Brunson's leadership. We pray for the Brunson family as they prepare for their new ministry at the great First Baptist Church of Jacksonville….”
With more than 28,000 constituents, First Baptist of Jacksonville plays a vital role in downtown Jacksonville and in convention politics.
Jacksonville church leaders indicated Brunson as a possibility for the senior pastor position Feb. 9 and presented him as a candidate to the church Feb. 12, less than a week after long-time pastor Jerry Vines retired. Vines, the former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, led the Florida church for 23 years before announcing his retirement plans in May of 2005. Church leaders were unavailable for comment on the change.
Brunson previously served as senior pastor at First Baptist, Dallas, for seven years, in addition to working as chancellor of Criswell College. He graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and Furman University in Greenville, S.C. He and his wife, Debbie, have three children.
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