Rev. Clay Smith

Top East Cobb stories for 2019: Johnson Ferry Baptist’s new pastor

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Rev. Clay Smith

The year 2019 marked some dramatic change for several East Cobb faith communities, including one of its best known. Johnson Ferry Baptist Church has a new pastor, only the second its history.

Rev. Clay Smith was called from First Baptist Church in Matthews, N.C., to succeed founding pastor Rev. Bryant Wright.

Wright, who initially ministered to a tiny congregation in vacant office space in the early 1980s, shepherded the church into one with more than 8,000 members, with a sprawling campus on Johnson Ferry Road that now includes a large activities center, ball fields and a K-12 school.

In addition, Wright began the non-denominational Wright From the Heart Ministries, reaching radio and multimedia audiences, and was president of the Southern Baptist Convention as it welcomed historically black congregations.

At the end of 2018 Wright indicated his desire to step away from his Johnson Ferry duties, and will continue with Wright From the Heart.

Read the stories

Another long-time spiritual leader in East Cobb announced this year he will be retiring in 2020. Steven Lebow of Temple Kol Emeth became the Reform synagogue’s first full-time rabbi in 1986 and took part in community protests against an anti-gay resolution by the Cobb Board of Commissioners in the early 1990s.

Leo Frank Memorial
Rabbi Steven Lebow of Temple Kol Emeth is retiring at the end of June 2020.

Later he took up the cause of working to exonerate Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager who was lynched near what is now Frey’s Gin Road in 1915. In the wake of 9/11, Lebow started an annual Ecumenical service the week before Thanksgiving, inviting faith leaders and worshippers from around the north metro Atlanta for music, humor and interfaith messages of unity.

Earlier this year, Eastside Baptist Church made the news when the Southern Baptist Convention had listed it for possible “defellowshipping” related to a 2017 sexual abuse case.

Newspapers in Texas had reported on allegations of abuse in the SBC, but Eastside Pastor John Hull was publicly critical of the SBC for the listing, saying the congregation on Lower Roswell Road had addressed the matter promptly.

A former Eastside youth ministry volunteer was convicted of two counts of sexual battery in 2016 and is in prison; the church took actions to improve security, strengthen background checks and increase safety as Hull was coming on board.

The SBC later removed Eastside from the list, saying no further investigation was warranted.

In September, a longtime East Cobb church announced it was closing its doors, due to declining an aging membership and financial issues.

Members of Powers Ferry United Methodist Church gathered in early December for “homecoming” as the 65-year-old congregation prepares for its final service on Dec. 29.

Also as the holidays approached, two East Cobb churches became one. Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church, which had been sharing space with Hope Presbyterian Church on Sandy Plains Road, merged with Christ Presbyterian.

The new church is named Christ Orthodox Presbyterian Church and it meets at 495 Terrell Mill Road.

 

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New Johnson Ferry Baptist pastor approved; to start Sept. 8

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Rev. Clay Smith

The Rev. Clay Smith was approved by the membership of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church on Sunday to become the new senior pastor.

Smith, who was called by the church’s search committee last month, preached at all five services on Sunday. His hiring was formalized at a conference following the services in a motion that “had the unanimous recommendation from the search team, personnel committee, elders, and Bryant and Anne Wright. The vote of Johnson Ferry Baptist members was unanimous!”

Currently the senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Matthews, N.C., Smith officially takes over on Sept. 8. Johnson Ferry is saying there will be some “overlap” until November or December as outgoing pastor Rev. Bryant Wright moves into a new position with his Wright From the Heart Ministries nearby.

According to a message on the Johnson Ferry Baptist website, the two pastors will be splitting up preaching responsibilities during the transition and that “plans are being formulated for how to honor Bryant and Anne for their incredible ministry at Johnson Ferry.”

Wright was the inaugural senior pastor at Johnson Ferry Baptist, which was established in 1981. It now has more than 7,000 members. Wright also is a former two-time president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States.

Smith’s first Johnson Ferry sermon can be seen below:

 

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Johnson Ferry Baptist Church issues call to North Carolina pastor

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Rev. Clay Smith, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church
Rev. Clay Smith and his wife, Terrica, and their children, Madison, Molly and Miller.

On Sunday morning Johnson Ferry Baptist Church announced during its services that a call has been issued to Rev. Clay Smith to be its new senior pastor.

Smith is currently the senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Matthews, N.C. (a suburb of Charlotte) and most of his ministry has been spent in the Carolinas.

He’s a native of Greenville, S.C., and earned a master’s degree at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, where he is currently a Ph.D. student.

According to George Ethridge and John Farish, co-chairs of the Johnson Ferry senior pastor search committee, Smith will be preaching all five services on Aug. 4 as the church’s sole candidate to succeed the Rev. Bryant Wright, who announced in November he would be retiring.

Wright is the founding pastor at Johnson Ferry, which started in 1981, and later became a president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

In a video message also unveiled Sunday, Wright said that “there is no doubt in my mind that Clay Smith is the man that God has chosen for this role.”

Here’s more about Smith from a message Johnson Ferry is sharing with the community:

His central passion for ministry revolves around the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). This includes a biblical concentration in three major areas: evangelism, relational discipleship and missions.

Clay has been the Senior Pastor of First Baptist, Matthews, NC since August of 2014. Prior to that he was Minister of Adults under Dick Lincoln at Shandon Baptist in Columbia, SC from 2008 to 2014, and Associate Pastor, Outreach & Education at Alice Drive Baptist in Sumter, SC from 2005-2008. While in seminary at Southwestern Baptist in Ft. Worth, TX, Clay served as an Intern to Senior Pastors Dr. Jack Graham & Dr. David McKinley at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX from 2002-2005. In his free time he enjoys running, playing golf, reading (history) and looking for great greasy spoon restaurants. In addition, you will also find him pulling for his alma mater, the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Clay’s life verse is Galatians 2:20 (NASB).
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself up for me.”

Senior Pastor Candidate Introduction

All congregants are invited to view the recap below from the Senior Pastor Search Committee to see how the Lord has been evident throughout the search process.

Search Committee Report

In addition, we have the Senior Pastor announcement from Sunday, July 14 available for viewing.

Announcement from Sanctuary

Announcement from Activities Center

 

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