By Aaron Weaver

June 21, 2023

DECATUR, Ga. — The CBF Nominating Committee has selected Rev. Juan L. García to serve as Moderator-Elect in 2023-2024. Garcia serves as pastor of the Hispanic Congregation (Primera Iglesia Bautista de Newport News) of First Baptist Church, Newport News, Va., a multicultural congregation with people from Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

A native of Puerto Rico, García has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan and a Master of Divinity degree from the John Leland Center for Theological Studies in Arlington, Va. In 2006, García planted Primera Iglesia Bautista de Newport News with 15 people, and the congregation now has more than 100 active members. Prior to his tenure as pastor, García worked for the U.S. Department of Treasury in Washington, D.C. as a financial program specialist.

García has a history of extensive community involvement in Newport News, including serving as a member of the Hispanic Advisory Committee to the City Manager and member of the Board of Directors of Southeastern Virginia Health System. He has partnered with the city of Newport News and local organizations to host free health and resources fairs for the Hispanic community.

He is a member of the CBF Governing Board and has also served on the CBF Toward Bold Faithfulness Collaborative Response Team, the CBF Theological Education Commission, and the Executive Coordinator Search Committee, and the Steering Committee of FAMILIA, CBF’s Latino network. García has also helped facilitate numerous CBF Dawnings congregational visioning retreats for pastors and lay leaders in Texas, California, North Carolina and the Dominican Republic.

García is married to Monica, and they have two children, Natalia and Daniel.

CBF Executive Coordinator Paul Baxley expressed his support to the Nominating Committee for selecting García.

“I am so grateful that the Nominating Committee has asked Juan García to serve as CBF’s next Moderator-Elect,” Baxley said. “Juan has been deeply involved in CBF life, and over the last several years has offered critical leadership in some of our most transformative work. I have come to highly respect Juan. He is a deeply committed Baptist Christian and a gifted pastor. He is willing to ask important and hard questions when doing so is necessary to make the best decisions. Juan is incredibly committed to the renewal of congregations, the discovery of more faithful ways of preparing ministers, the growth of our Fellowship and a truly holistic global mission. I look forward to leading with him.”

García expressed his excitement to serve Cooperative Baptists as Moderator-Elect.

“It is a great honor and responsibility to be considered for the position of Moderator-Elect, especially as the first Latino to hold such a position in our CBF family,” García said. “Since the moment I participated in my first General Assembly, I felt myself at home being welcomed and included. I am very grateful for the openness with which I have been received, as well as for the many opportunities given to me to serve, to have my voice heard and to be part of the present and the future of our Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. I am excited for what God is doing and will continue to do in the years to come. I look forward to the work ahead as we continue to position CBF for what God has in store for us.”

CBF Nominating Committee Chair Amy Cook also shared her gratefulness to Nominating Committee members in choosing García and the many other leaders to serve on CBF’s governance bodies.

“The Nominating Committee works hard to ensure a solid slate of leaders for CBF’s governance bodies each year,” said Cook, who is a graphic designer and member of Second Baptist Church, Memphis, Tenn. “Our committee—along with the Missions Council, Ministries Council and Governing Board—meets in-person twice each year, sharing in worship and fellowship. We spend time learning about the work that each group is doing, listening closely to what each other’s needs are for the upcoming year. The committee also relies on our state, regional and network leaders for their insight about who might be able and willing to answer the call to serve. I’m grateful for these partnerships and to CBF for creating this space for us to share in fellowship and collaborate with one another.”

“I am endlessly grateful to each and every committee member,” Cook continued. “Each has shared significant time and energy, using his or her gifts to work tirelessly, thoughtfully gathering all of the information gleaned from our fellow leaders and compiling it into a coherent list, giving voice to how we might meet the needs of each governance body in future years. We are excited about the proposed slate of nominees and thankful for each person’s willingness to serve.”

The CBF Nominating Committee will present García for approval from the General Assembly, June 29-30, along with additional nominees to serve on the Fellowship’s Governing Board, Missions Council and Ministries Council.

Additionally, the CBF Governing Board will present forward nominee recommendations to serve on the Nominating Committee, Council on Endorsement, as well as the board of the CBF Foundation.

At the conclusion of the 2023 General Assembly, current Moderator-Elect David Hull will assume the role of Moderator, the Fellowship’s highest-ranking office held in 2022 by Debbie McDaniel, lay leader of First Baptist Church, Huntsville, Ala.

Nominees to be presented for approval, June 29-30, at the General Assembly in Atlanta are listed below. Find more information and register at www.cbf.net/assembly.

Nominating Committee Report

Governance

• Moderator-Elect – Juan García, Pastor, Primera Iglesia Bautista de Newport News, Newport News, Va.

Governing Board

• Jeff Hayes, Senior Pastor, Oakland Baptist Church, Rock Hill, S.C.
• Brad Jernberg, Minister for Administration, South Main Baptist Church, Houston, Texas
• Israel Loachamin, Associate Pastor of Spanish Ministry, First Baptist Church Waco, Waco, Texas
• Connie McNeill, Associate Pastor of Administration and Discipleship, Second Baptist Church, Liberty, Mo.

Missions Council

• Felipe Candelaria Cepeda, Senior Pastor, Iglesia Bautista de Quebrada, Gurabo, Puerto Rico
• Scott Ford, Chief Operations Officer, Passport Inc.; Member, Crosscreek Baptist Church, Pelham, Ala.
• Eric Howell, Senior Pastor, DaySpring Baptist Church, Waco, Texas
• Alex Lockridge, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Corbin, Ky.
• Janine Williams, Hospital Chaplain, St. Stephen Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky.

Ministries Council

• Christopher Adams, Resident Chaplain, Covenant Baptist Church, Garden Ridge, Texas
• Bruce Gourley, Historian; Member, First Baptist Church, Bozeman, Mont.
• Kheresa Harmon, Minister for Children & Their Families, St. John’s Baptist Church, Charlotte, N.C.
• Jeffrey Howard, Minister of Christian Education & Community Outreach, Welfare Baptist Church, Belton, S.C.
• Kristin Koger, Associate Pastor for Spiritual Growth, First Baptist Church Waynesboro, Waynesboro, Va.

Governing Board Recommendations

Nominating Committee

• Mera Corlett, Senior Pastor, Okolona Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky.
• Jesús García, Senior Pastor, Church of the City, New London, Conn.
• Aimee Hobbs, Associate Pastor, First Baptist Church, St. Petersburg, Fla.
• J. Livingston, Senior Pastor, Remnant Fellowship, Atlanta, Ga.
• Kristin McAtee, Associate Pastor, Spring Creek Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, Okla.
• Omayra Rivera, Co-Pastor, Iglesia Bautisa de Metropolis, Carolina, Puerto Rico
• Joby Tricquet, Pastor, Fairfax Baptist Church, Fairfax, Va.
• Marty Watts, Minister of Music, Vestavia Hills Baptist Church, Birmingham, Ala.

Recorder

• Marnie Fisher-Ingram, Associate Pastor for Youth & Their Families, River Road Church, Baptist, Richmond, Va.

CBF Council on Endorsement

• Paul Byrd, Program Director, GA Rural Health Innovation Center, Mercer University School of Medicine, Cumming, Ga.
• Deborah Reeves, Pastor to Children & Their Families, First Baptist Church of Austin, Dripping Springs, Texas

CBF Foundation

• Zach Graves, Auditor; Member, South Main Baptist Church, Houston, Texas
• Ramon Masso-Flores, Attorney Manager, Member of Church of the City, New London, Conn.

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CBF is a Christian network that helps people put their faith to practice through ministry eff­orts, global missions and a broad community of support. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.