October 2, 2026
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Addressing the Georgia Baptist Convention Executive Committee on Tuesday, Dec. 9, Chairman Steven Fountain offered a devotional message built on Acts 1:8, encouraging pastors and ministry leaders to remain faithful to their calling by leaning on the Holy Spirit, embracing their purpose as witnesses, and prioritizing the ministries closest to them.
Fountain, who also serves as pastor of First Baptist Church Buford, opened with gratitude for Executive Director Thomas Hammond and the statewide emphasis on gospel engagement. “I’m so thankful we’re at a time where he gets to do what he loves, which is travel around the state of Georgia and tell people about Jesus,” Fountain said. “The man is a walking evangelist, and loves training people in evangelism.”
Turning to the familiar passage in Acts 1, Fountain said Jesus’ command to be His witnesses provides not only a mission but also the means to carry it out.
Persist with power
“As we’re seeking to do what God’s called us to do, we persist with power,” Fountain said. Ministry, he noted, inevitably includes seasons of fatigue, frustration, and resistance from congregations, communities, and spiritual opposition. What sustains leaders in those moments, he said, is not personal ability but divine empowerment.
“We can’t do what God’s called us to do apart from the power of the Holy Spirit,” he said. “The moment you start doing it apart from the power of the Holy Spirit is the moment that you give up.”
That power, he added, is greater than any burden or challenge a pastor may face. “There is nothing anybody in your church or community—there is nothing Satan can throw at you—that is greater than the power that dwells inside of you.”
Pursue your purpose
Fountain reminded leaders that their purpose is not defined by metrics or church growth but by obedience to the call to bear witness to Christ.
“Jesus doesn’t give us an option but to be His witnesses,” he said. “My purpose isn’t to grow a church. My purpose is to be a light for Christ. And whatever God does with it, He does with it.”
He urged committee members to pursue that purpose in every sphere of life—marriage, parenting, relationships, community involvement, and church leadership. “Every interaction we have, our purpose is to be a witness, a light for Him,” he said.
Prioritize proximity
“The most important ministries in your life are the ones closest to you,” Fountain explained.
He warned leaders not to confuse denominational service or committee responsibilities with their primary calling. “There is nothing you will ever do connected to the Georgia Baptist Mission Board that is of greater importance than what you do every day in your local church,” he said.
Even good ministry elsewhere, he argued, should never overshadow faithfulness to the people pastors see week after week. “If we’re not seeking to reach the community right next to us, it feels pretty hypocritical to get on a plane and fly across the world to tell somebody about Jesus.”
Encouragement for weary leaders
In closing, Fountain reminded pastors and leaders that God has already supplied what they need to serve with endurance. “If you’re struggling, I’m so thankful you’ve got the power of the Holy Spirit, the living God, dwelling inside of you,” he said.
“Our purpose is just to be obedient, to be His witnesses. Be that first.”
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