Members of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga., voted overwhelmingly Sept. 16 for Atlanta-area pastor Jeremy Morton to serve alongside Johnny Hunt as co-pastor.
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Jeremy Morton |
Morton, 37, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Cartersville, preached in both Sunday morning services Sept. 16 in view of a call to serve alongside Hunt, who has been named as senior vice president for evangelism and leadership for the North American Mission Board.
“Jeremy will ultimately become the senior pastor,” according to an FBC Woodstock news release, “but not until he and Pastor Johnny feel the timing is best for the church.”
“Since I was a teen pastor Johnny Hunt has been one of my heroes,” Morton told The Christian Index of the Georgia Baptist Convention. “Now, to work at his side as co-pastor is an honor more meaningful than I can describe.”
Hunt, in praying through the time of transition, said, “I asked the Lord to show me His man. I feel that Jeremy fits every quality I felt needed to lead FBCW to its best days. He’s a great family man, a great Bible preacher, a personal soul-winner, and tremendous at building relationships with God’s people.
“I’m elated that he will pastor my children, grandchildren and my wife Janet and me,” Hunt, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, said.
Morton, a native of Warner Robins, Ga., has led First Baptist Church in Cartersville the past five years, previously serving 13 years as the founding pastor/church planter of Cross Point Baptist Church in the central Georgia town of Perry. A graduate of Brewton-Parker College in Mt. Vernon, Ga., and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Morton is currently working on his doctor of ministry degree in expository preaching through Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas.
He and his wife Carrie have three children, Zeke, Madie and Abe.
Since Hunt arrived at FBC Woodstock in 1986, worship attendance has grown from 200 to more than 6,000 and small group attendance has grown from 100 on Sundays to more than 5,500 weekly. In missions, under Hunt’s leadership First Baptist has planted 130 churches, taken hundreds of members on short-term mission trips annually, and supported 45 families commissioned from its congregation. This year the church reported giving $2.1 million toward missions causes.
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Compiled by Baptist Press senior editor Art Toalston from reporting by Scott Barkley of The Christian Index of the Georgia Baptist Convention. Reprinted from Baptist Press, baptistpress.com, news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.)