October 10, 2024
“Well, I didn’t have that on my bingo card,” has been Jeff Parmer’s reply when asked about his first week as associational missionary with the Ogeechee River Baptist Association. After a lifetime of serving in pastoral positions in churches across Georgia, Parmer’s first day in his new role was Monday, Sept. 23. Three days later, Hurricane Helene roared across the South, leaving a trail of death and destruction that encompassed the counties comprising the ORBA – Bulloch, Bryan, and Candler.
Parmer says, “Our assumptions of easing into this position were quickly blown away by the extremely forceful winds of the hurricane. But what has come out of this storm has been nothing short of a miracle.”
In the aftermath of Helene, Parmer has been encouraged to witness “the best of churches, THE church, and the association.” He cites several examples of Georgia Baptists coming together to help, support, and care for each other as they recover from the storm’s effects
Ogeechee River Baptist Association churches have shared resources with other churches within the association. When a church needed ice to distribute to members of its community, a call went out to the member churches and ice was on its way and being distributed to that community within just a couple of hours.
Parmer says that ORBA churches are working to serve the community and the members of their body by “sending teams to act as the hands of Jesus in a multitude of ways.” That help is available even across denominational lines as ORBA churches have partnered with churches outside the Southern Baptist Convention to provide meals, distribute supplies, and come together in times of corporate worship.
Help has also come from outside the ORBA. Parmer credits the Columbus Baptist Association for providing manpower and access to its disaster relief trailer to assist with the recovery and clean-up effort across the region.
And Parmer’s last pastorate, First Baptist Church Reynolds, Ga., reached out with a desire to assist with the needs of the community. “In just over a week,” Parmer says, “they have made three deliveries of water and other supplies that has been shared with the churches of ORBA.
The storm and its aftermath have added to the challenges of transitioning from a pastoral role to serving as an associational missionary. “For me, it’s not about a question of ‘good or bad’ but rather a question of ‘good or best,’” he says. “Following God’s leading to serve as an AM is what we believe is God’s best for us in this season of life.”
Parmer’s faith journey began at Northside Baptist Church in Columbus, Ga. “It was there, on a Sunday evening,” he recalls, “when I came to faith in Christ as Savior.” However, he says, “The truth is I lived more as a ‘prodigal’ than a ‘servant.’” It wasn’t until several years later, when a friend invited Jeff and his wife, Sandra, to attend a Sunday School class that the Lord began a work in his life that “soon led to a clear call to vocational ministry.”
While attending Second Baptist Church in Columbus, Parmer was invited to join the pastor at a conference. He recalls that at one point, a speaker “asked a question to the effect of ‘Where is the next generation of servants for the church?’ It was in that moment that I sensed that God was directing that question to my heart and calling me to serve Him in some form of vocational ministry.”
Since then, he adds, “God has taken me to different places and given me the privilege to serve Him across many different lines.”
Parmer has served in pastoral roles across Georgia in geographical settings that have included urban, suburban, and rural communities. His positions have varied from staff member to co-vocational and full-time pastor. He has served at Second Baptist Columbus, Altman Memorial Baptist, Antioch Baptist, Ebenezer Baptist, Crossview Baptist, and most recently at First Baptist Reynolds. He has also served as a North American Mission Board endorsed chaplain with both the City of Fitzgerald for all the city departments and employees, and the Reynolds Police Department.
“Serving as a pastor has provided some of the most rewarding opportunities and seasons of life,” Parmer says. “We have walked with churches and individuals through some of the most celebratory and some of the most challenging situations and circumstances of life. As most pastors know, there is much we have learned through the proverbial ‘trial and error’ method. And yet, in each situation, we have been witness to and the recipients of God’s faithful blessings.”
Parmer is looking forward to using that experience in service to the churches of the Ogeechee River Baptist Association. “In almost thirty years of ministry, God has allowed me to gain a diverse scope of experience, skills, and knowledge. He has also blessed me with a certain mix of gifts and abilities. My desire is to be the best steward of all that The Father has entrusted to me, and to be pleasing to Him,” he explains.
When asked about his role as an AM, Parmer likens it to an offensive lineman in football. “Offensive linemen are most successful when they are making others successful,” he says.
Parmer has three main goals as an AM. First, he wants to encourage church leaders so that their churches will thrive. Second, he hopes to empower pastors, staff, leadership and church members to carry out their Kingdom assignment. Lastly, he seeks to facilitate cooperation among churches to advance the Kingdom locally and globally.
“The local church is the epicenter for carrying out the Great Commission and for advancing the Kingdom of God,” Parmer says. “I want to see the pastors and churches thrive to be all that God wants them to be and accomplish all that God desires for them to accomplish.”
While he is eager to face the new challenges, the transition has not been without its challenges. Parmer says, “I have found myself living in a tension as I look ahead to this new ministry role. The tension we have engaged is between prepared and unprepared. On one side of the tension is the knowledge that ‘God has prepared you for what He has prepared for you.’ The lessons learned, the skills and experienced gained, and the gifts The Father has entrusted to me fall in the prepared category.
“On the other side of the tension is knowing that I am stepping into a new place, not knowing what I will encounter, but having to fully rely upon the grace of God. As with all the tensions we face, they exist for our good and for God’s glory.”
Parmer is grateful for the support of his wife of 32 years, Sandra, and his adult children, Hannah and Caleb. He is also appreciative of the support he’s received from Dr. Rusty Newman (Walnut Fork Baptist Church), Jimmy Blanton (AMS, Columbus Baptist Association), Jerry Speer (Northside Baptist Church, Columbus), Larry Wynn (Georgia Baptist Healthcare Foundation) and W. Thomas Hammond, Jr., executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
“When I stepped into ministry almost thirty years ago,” Parmer says, “I had no thought or idea of what we would encounter or where this journey would take us. I certainly never thought that at fifty-seven years old I would be stepping into a new career path. And yet, here I am, listening to the echo of Jesus’ words in Mark 5:36, ‘Do not fear; only believe.’”
The themes of cooperation and partnership loom large as Parmer reflects on the tumultuous past weeks. “It is my hope and prayer that this lesson is not lost once the recovery and clean-up work is done. The partnership and planning, the cooperation and coordination, the strategy, structure, and systems, and the unity and diversity that is required for disaster relief are the same principles that must be applied if we are to reach our communities, our state, our nation, and our world with The Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Parmer concludes, “If the last 14 or so days have taught us anything, it reminds us that as churches we are ‘Better Together.’”
