The Personnel Committee is pleased to announce
that Ron Barker has accepted the ministry of Interim Pastor of First Baptist
Church of Hendersonville.

Ron currently serves as the Associate Director of the Partnership Development Church Multiplication Group for the State Baptist Convention of South Carolina. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee. He received his Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. Ron did his doctoral work at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. He served in the U.S. Navy Seabees in 1969–1972 with an active tour of duty in Vietnam in 1970. In 1976-1977 he
taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. Later in 2003–2005 Ron served as an adjunct and full time college professor for the North Georgia College and State University.

Saved at the age of 10, Ron accepted his call to the ministry while serving in the U.S. Military. With a Civil Engineering background he pastored churches in Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas and Georgia. Ron served three years as Associate Pastor, First Baptist Church, Atlanta, with pastor Charles Stanley. He served in the Evangelism Section of the Home Mission Board for nine years. He also planted and pastored a church in Gainesville, Georgia for 10½ years. Before coming to South Carolina, Ron served the Missouri Baptist Convention as an associate in Personal Evangelism/Spiritual Awakening.

He now serves the South Carolina Baptist Convention in the area of Evangelism
and Church Multiplication. “Out of my life’s experiences I have been able to go through these last 35 plus years with a lot of confidence in the faithfulness of the Lord. Being married, raising three children, pastoring, traveling and teaching have all had their challenges, but in every case God has been more than faithful to me. Joshua 1:1-5 is a special verse that gives us this promise, ‘…I will never leave you or forsake you...’ Another verse that has meant a lot to me is Ephesians 3:20, ‘Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.’”

 Ron and his wife, Joy, have three children: Jon Barker, son married with three children, Pastor of Worship in Ohio; Andrew Barker, son, married, employed with the United States Defense Department, Baltimore, Maryland; and Jenny Barker, daughter, is currently a senior at Hannibal-LaGrange College, Hannibal, Missouri. Joy’s parents, Henry and Wilma Jones, are members of First Baptist Church and are involved in several ministries. Ron and Joy live in Chapin, South Carolina, just north of Columbia.

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