Tim Akin called to First Douglasville as senior pastor effective Jan. 7

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First Baptist Church Douglasville welcomes new pastor Tim Akin and his wife, Anna, and their family to their church as they begin 2018 together.

DOUGLASVILLE — After an eight-month process of evaluating “the current and emerging needs of our church in our community, as well as the type of man we believe God was preparing to lead us,” First Baptist Church has called Tim Akin as Senior Pastor.

The Pastor Search Committee stated, “Tim has a sterling reputation, a heart for reaching people for Christ, a commitment to expository preaching, extraordinary leadership skills, and a vision that is expansive and outreach-focused. Akin will assume the new position on January 7.

The following is his testimony, as shared on the church website:

Testimony

I had the privilege of being raised by my two heroes. Both my dad and my mom are devoted followers of Jesus Christ. As a result, when I was a young boy, they taught me and my three older brothers to love Jesus, His Word, and His church.

One Sunday evening when I was 6 years old, I told my dad that I was ready to become a Christian. My parents took me into the living room, sat with me on the couch, and shared with me that if I simply repented of my sins and professed faith that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, was buried and rose again, then I would be saved. So, right there, in Dallas, Texas, sitting on that couch, I prayed to receive Jesus as my Lord and Savior and became a Christian.

Because of the leadership of my parents, our family’s involvement in the local church and several godly men who poured into my life, God has allowed me to grow over the years in my relationship with Him.

When I was 17 years old, the summer before my senior year of high school, I went on my first international mission trip. I went with a team to Honduras. During that trip, for the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to preach the Gospel. I can vividly remember after one of the sermons sitting down with a young boy named Omar and leading him to faith in Jesus. It was through this experience and this trip that God called me into full-time Christian ministry.

Ministry Experience

The Lord has provided me a variety of ministry opportunities and experiences, all of which allowed me to work with people whom I respect and who poured into my life.

I began as the Associate Pastor and Student Minister at North Roxboro Baptist Church in Roxboro, North Carolina. From there, my wife Anna and I moved to Istanbul, Turkey, to serve as missionaries for two years with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Following that assignment overseas, we moved to Louisville, Kentucky where I served for nearly 4 years as the Student Pastor at Highview Baptist Church. In 2013, we moved to West Palm Beach, Florida where I became the Pastor of Family Church West, one of the campuses of Family Church (formerly First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach).

This church has become a vibrant and dynamic church taking the Gospel to all of South Florida. It has grown from an average attendance of 1000 to more than 4000 in less than 10 years. I was asked to be the founding pastor of Family Church West, which started in October of 2013 with a little over 100 people. Over the past 4 years, this church has grown to over 300 in weekly attendance, has baptized nearly 150 people who have professed their faith in Christ, and its membership has increased by 250 people. This is growth by adding new believers in an area that is largely unchurched.

Family

Anna and I were high school sweethearts. Shortly after my mission trip to Honduras, we began dating. We dated for several years when I was in college, and we were married on July 15, 2006, just before my senior year. Over the last 11 years of marriage, God has blessed us with 5 beautiful children: Levi (9), Judah (7), Caleb (5), Zeke (2), and Shiloh (9 months). There is never a dull or quiet moment in our home! When we are not at church, we are heavily involved in sports, and we love going to the beach, eating pizza, and watching a movie as a family every Friday night.

Education

It has been of utmost importance that I receive formal training to be the best that I can be in ministry. I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies at The College at Southeastern in Wake Forest, North Carolina in 2007. In 2015, I graduated with a Master of Divinity in Christian Ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology at Southeastern Seminary.

First Baptist Church Douglasville, Tim Akin