Introducing John Rice

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Introducing John Rice

John and Sara Rice - webThis Sunday, we’ll have the privilege of meeting Rev. John Rice who comes in view of a call to be our Executive Pastor. John grew up in Jacksonville and graduated from Fletcher High School then Palm Beach Atlantic College. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He and his wife, Sara, have two children. Sara is a full time Pastoral Counselor in Elizabethtown. Charlotte is a middle school teacher, and Rosemary “Rosie” is a college student.

Over the past year, John has served as an interim pastor in Baptist churches in Kentucky. Until 2013, John served 23 years at Severns Valley Baptist Church in Elizabethtown, Kentucky; first as Youth Minister and then as Communications Pastor. His background, experience, and calling in ministry make him a great fit for our church.

The Executive Pastor (EP) functions as the chief of staff in a church. Like an “XO” in the military, the EP supervises professional and support staff, coordinates staff meetings, and oversees communications and technical ministries. John will serve as staff liaison to the missions committee, finance committee, and property committee. John will also coordinate hospital visitation along with our pastoral staff team and be the liaison to SMBS departments that work with ages 40-70 year old adults. Jenna Young will continue to provide great ongoing pastoral care to our congregation, especially our Senior Adults and homebound, along with yours truly and the rest of our pastoral team.

As chairmen of their respective committees; Richard Duley, Jim Pitts, Howard Rhodes, and Bill Gardner have faithfully assisted me in the interview process for this position. I am so grateful for their wisdom and guidance. This Wednesday, the deacons will meet and hear this recommendation. John will be with us this weekend at our Life Groups: EQUIP training weekend and will share his testimony in both services on Sunday. At our regular monthly business meeting on September 17, we’ll have the opportunity to extend a call to John to be our Executive Pastor. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have John join our church. He’s “coming back home to Florida,” and I know that he will help us Love Tallahassee. His ministry work, compassion for people, and great relational skills, make him a great fit for this position on our staff. Please be praying for John and his family in the days to come.