OLOH, Miss. (BP) – Although he is a native of east Tennessee, First Baptist Oloh pastor Andy Baker considers this community 10 miles west of Hattiesburg home. His wife –and now their three children – are from here. He is 37 and already has 10 years of experience as a senior pastor. There have been opportunities to leave.
But Baker says he isn’t going anywhere.
“I’m a big believer that true, lasting ministry takes place over time,” Baker told Baptist Press. “You need that to build relationships. The Lord works through that for greater church health.”
You couldn’t blame the people of First Baptist for thinking otherwise. Like many smaller, rural congregations, it could be challenging to keep a pastor. Going back to 1902, the average stay was three years, a figure affected by one pastor’s seven-year tenure and another’s 10.
“I was determined to break the mold,” said Baker, in his ninth year. “God has placed me here for the long haul.”
There have been opportunities to go elsewhere, and Baker said no every time. He and his wife Elizabeth broke ground on a new home in April 2020 and moved in that October. His dad passed away last March and is buried in the church cemetery.
Those decisions underscore the resilience necessary for ministry in a small, rural setting. First Baptist has gone through a lot of change in Baker’s tenure. There has been turmoil as well as healing. Loss – like over half of his congregation who didn’t return after COVID – and gain – attendance exceeds pre-COVID figures with more than half the current membership having joined since then.
The path wasn’t hidden. It required a focus on Scripture, prayer and lifting each other up.
First steps
In August 2008 Baker was a student at William Carey University working at a Hattiesburg furniture store. First Baptist Oloh’s pastor, James Moore, walked in.
During that time, Baker sold him a couch; Moore sold him on First Baptist.