December 9, 2024
McDONOUGH, Ga. — Brady Howard, pastor at Glen Haven Baptist Church in McDonough, will be nominated to serve as vice president of the Georgia Baptist Convention at the annual meeting scheduled for Nov. 11-12 in Statesboro. Stephen Fountain, lead pastor at First Baptist Buford, said he intends to nominate Howard. “We need men serving in these roles who are free from denominational ambition, but full of a willingness to serve when called upon,” Fountain said. “Brady is that man.”
Fountain continued, “Brady is a young pastor who is full of energy and integrity. He loves the Lord. He loves his family. And he loves his church.”
Howard said he prayed to receive Christ when he was 8 years old and was baptized at Glen Haven’s original Decatur campus by his grandfather. “I was raised by two pastor’s kids! Both of my grandfathers served as Southern Baptist pastors and missionaries,” he explained.
Fountain said, “Brady has essentially been a Georgia Baptist for all of his life. What makes him unique is that in today’s world of transient leadership, he has grown roots where he is. He is 35 years old and has served on staff at the same church for 16 years.”
Howard graduated high school from Eagles Landing Christian Academy and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Ministry with a focus on Biblical Studies from Luther Rice Seminary. He is presently a graduate student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, studying for the Master of Arts in Pastoral Leadership.
Though Howard served as an intern with Dr. John Cross at South Biscayne Baptist Church, the bulk of his pastoral life has been centered at Glen Haven. “I have been on staff at Glen Haven for 16 years,” Howard said. “From 2008-2010, I served as student ministry assistant. From 2011-2019, I served as the pastor of student ministries. And from 2020, I have served as the lead pastor.”
“What makes that even more impressive,” Fountain said, “is that Brady has led Glen Haven through tremendous effective change in his four years as their lead pastor.” Fountain explained that Brady “stepped into an established church and did the hard work there that has so far resulted in 285 baptisms while leading them to give to the Cooperative Program more than 17 times what they were giving when he stepped into his current role.”
In 2019, Glen Haven gave .35% of their undesignated receipts to the Cooperative Program. Under Howard’s leadership beginning in 2020, that has increased to 6%. Glen Haven is also in partnership with four NAMB church plants in NYC.
“I am so thankful for the way that SBC churches cooperate for the mission of the gospel!” Howard declared. “I believe that we are truly better together. Since stepping into the role as lead pastor at Glen Haven, I have been so encouraged to see our churches mobilizing together for evangelism, church planting, missions, disaster relief, pastoral wellness, and equipping women in ministry. There is so much work to be done, and I truly believe that our churches are laboring together for the gospel in a way like we never have before.”
Howard and his wife Savannah have been married for almost 12, and have two children: a son, Beau, 9, and a daughter, Adaline, 7.
In Georgia Baptist life, Howard has served on the Committee for Nominations and is also a part of the Young Leaders Network.
As the grandson of two pastors, Howard’s life has revolved around the convention, and he is proud to carry on that tradition of serving the Lord as a Southern Baptist. “My fraternal grandparents both came to know Christ as their Savior at a Southern Baptist church in the 1960s in Thomaston, Ga. My maternal grandparents also came to know Christ as their Savior at SBC churches in Tennessee and New York both respectively in 1954,” Howard said. “Generations of my families have been impacted because of the message of the gospel that has been preached through SBC churches. I am so thankful to be a Southern Baptist, and specifically a Georgia Baptist!”
In fact, Howard recalls that it was at the Georgia Baptist Youth Evangelism Conference (now the MOVE conference) in 2002 when the Lord called him to ministry. At that time, though Howard was still in high school, he prayed with state leaders about “ God’s calling on my life, and that began the journey of God calling me to full-time service as a pastor.”
If elected to the office of vice president, Howard said he hopes to continue that calling and service. “I hope to serve our state in a way that we continue to see the gospel advanced through our cooperative efforts! I hope to really encourage the next generation of pastors, leaders, and church members to engage in cooperative efforts, through evangelism, and discipleship to let our hearts be set ablaze for Christ!”
Fountain thinks Howard is the right man for the job. “Brady will do an incredible job of connecting with and encouraging our pastors, both young and old,” Fountain said. “His personality is contagious and his humility is evident in every interaction you have with him. We desperately need more young guys leading Georgia Baptist who love and value Georgia Baptist. Brady is 100% that guy.”
