Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly.
STAFF CHANGES
Wade Arnold, to First Baptist Church, Clemmons, N.C., as pastor. He comes from First Church, Oviedo, Fla., where he was assistant pastor for discipleship, pastoral care and generosity.
Mike Bayly, concluding his tenure as senior pastor of Gayton Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., to pursue evangelistic ministry in Florida.
Andy Berry, to First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va., as interim minister of invitation.
Michelle Carroll, to First Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky., as associate pastor of missions.
Nick Crawford, to Briarcliff Church, Atlanta, Ga., as interim pastor.
Nate Dove, to St. John’s Baptist Church, Charlotte, N.C., as minister for youth and young adults.
Joel Elmore, to Mill Creek Baptist Church, Fincastle, Va., as minister of youth.
Mark Groves, to Central Bearden Church, Knoxville, Tenn., as pastor of worship and the arts, effective in July. He comes from Deermeadows Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Fla., where he served as worship pastor.
Sarah Groves, resigning as minister to young and medium families at Deermeadows Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Fla., to relocate to Tennessee.
Madison Harner, to Weatherly Heights Baptist Church, Huntsville, Ala., as minister to the Christian home.
Amy Grizzle Kane, concluding her tenure as associate pastor of missions and community at First Baptist Church, Greensboro, N.C.
Sean Lee, resigning as pastor of Crewe (Va.) Baptist Church, effective July 8, to accept a call to a church in Tennessee.
Sam Quick, to First Baptist Church, St. Marys, Ga., as pastor, effective July 19. He comes from the pastorate of Providence Baptist Church, Whigham, Ga.
Sara Robb-Scott, concluding her tenure as pastor for senior adults and pastoral care at First Baptist Church, Decatur, Ga., to relocate to North Carolina.
Josh Sabo, concluding his tenure as lead pastor of Central Baptist Church, Springfield, Ill., to become coordinator of Heartland Continuum of Care, providing resources to address homelessness in Sangamon County, Ill.
Monty Stallins, to Calvary Baptist Church, Lexington, Ky., as senior pastor. He comes from the pastorate of Second Avenue Baptist Church, Rome, Ga.
Ken Stalls, to Black Creek Baptist Church, Mechanicsville, Va., as interim pastor.
Javier A. Viera, to Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Ill., as president, effective January 2021.
RETIREMENT
Larry Jones, retiring as minister of music and worship at First Baptist Church, Waynesboro, Va., effective July 26.
DEATHS
George Pickle, 77, died June 22 in Marietta, Ga. He retired in 2013 after 12 years as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s endorser of chaplains and pastoral counselors. Prior to that he served as the endorser for hospital, hospice and pastoral counseling at the SBC’s North American Mission Board. A respected voice in the chaplaincy and pastoral care community, he was honored with the Distinguished Service Award for the Association of Professional Chaplains in 2016. He is survived by his wife, Kathy; daughter, Renee; and two grandchildren.
William E. “Bill” Thorn, 97, died June 22 in San Angelo, Texas. He was pastor of First Baptist Church, Panhandle, Texas; First Baptist Church, Bruceville, Texas; and Calvary Baptist Church, Lubbock, Texas. For more than a decade he was pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church, Wichita, Kansas. He was president of Dallas Baptist College. He served as pastor-in-residence at Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary, Waco, Texas. He is preceded in death by his wife, Jessie. They had four daughters, Jenny Boyko, Martha Popplewell, Becky Baker and Karen Morris. Survivors include six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
KUDOS
ANNIVERSARIES
Amanda Langlands, 10 years as minister of children and education at Faith Baptist Church, Georgetown, Ky.
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In case you missed them:
Transitions for the week of 6-19-20
Transitions for the week of 6-5-20
Transitions for the week of 5-22-20
Transitions for the week of 5-8-20