Pastor of Church Multiplication

On May 6 the faith family overwhelmingly confirmed J.D. Payne as our new Pastor of Church Multiplication. Please continue to pray for J.D. and his family during this time of transition.

    Introduction to J.D. Payne from The Church at Brook Hills on Vimeo.

  • J.D. has served for the last ten years as both a Mobilization Missionary with the North American Mission Board (namb.net) and an Associate Professor of Church Planting and Evangelism at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (sbts.edu). In addition to his teaching responsibilities at the seminary, J.D. also directs the Center for North American Missions and Church Planting at SBTS.

  • J.D. and his wife, Sarah, have been married since 1995. They have three children: Hannah (9), Rachel (7), and Joel (5). For the past nine years, Sarah has served part-time as a physician in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics at a clinic in Louisville for the uninsured population.  She and J.D. first met in college at the University of Kentucky, and ever since that time, she has felt the Lord’s leading to serve needy populations as a physician.  

  • J.D. exemplifies the characteristics required of elders in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. He loves the Lord and loves his family well, and this overflows clearly into his leadership in the church. Though most recently serving in mobilization and academic contexts, J.D. has also been actively involved in local churches as a pastor, associate pastor and elder. He believes theory and practice must be hand-in-hand, and has sought to always keep one foot in the local church while the other was in the classroom. 

  • Each of the ministry contexts in which J.D. has served has provided him with a view of different expressions of church structure and organization.  Some have been very traditional/ conventional in their expressions.  Others were cell churches, giving much priority to their small groups, and one was a house church.  This exposure has equipped J.D. with unique experience he will now be able to utilize at Brook Hills as we seek to better platform the gospel, make disciples and multiply churches, both here in Birmingham and around the world.

  • Please be praying for J.D. and his family during these days. Here are some specific ways you might pray:

      • Pray for this move to Birmingham and all the details involved in it.
      • Pray for the Payne family in this time of transition.
        • Pray for J.D. to love and lead his family well during these days.
        • Pray for Sarah as she supports and nurtures J.D. and their kids through this process.
        • Pray for Hannah, Rachel and Joel as they transition to a new community and make new friends.
      • Pray for J.D. as he transitions into his new role at Brook Hills.
        • Pray that God would provide J.D. the wisdom and guidance needed to best shepherd The Church at Brook Hills in the area of church multiplication.
      • Pray for God’s provision among the staff, faculty and students of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary as well as the North American Mission Board.
      • Pray that God would receive great glory in and through this entire process, both now and in the days ahead.

For more information about the Pastor of Church Multiplication position and how we have come to call J.D. to fill that role, please view the video below.

Pastor of Church Multiplication Background and Overview from The Church at Brook Hills on Vimeo.