The Pinnacle

We welcome Rev. Nikki Carroll Hardeman to our pulpit this Sunday, August 22.

Rev. Hardeman is the director of outreach and alumni relations at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology. She received a a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mercer University in 2002 and a Master of Divinity degree from McAfee in 2005, after which she served local churches through youth, young adult, and homebound ministry roles. Nikki also served as the associate coordinator of congregational life at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia. As her family grew, she chose to stay home with her children and pursue her vocational ministry through retreat leading, supply preaching, and adjunct teaching as well as writing and producing a small-group Bible study curriculum called Faith Element. She now serves the local church through her work at McAfee, helping to train ministers.

Dear Friends:       

With the retirement of our Senior Pastor James Lamkin last year and the recent announcement of Associate Pastor Daniel Headrick’s departure, effective the end of September, the Personnel Committee has taken steps to address the need for interim leadership of NDBC’s ministry work and oversight of the church’s day-to-day business. We are pleased to announce the recruitment of two terrific individuals to fill those roles until our Senior Pastor Search Committee has completed its work.

Dr. Gregory DeLoach, dean of the McAfee School of Theology, has agreed to serve as our interim senior pastor. Greg has preached at NDBC in the past, and many of you have met him. He has had a long career in Baptist ministry work. Greg is a native of Eatonton, Georgia, and is a graduate of Shorter College, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv in1992) and Columbia Theological Seminary (DDiv in 2003). He has pastored throughout the state for nearly three decades, including congregations in Mansfield, Chickamauga, Marietta and Augusta. Following 10 years as senior pastor of First Baptist Church Augusta, he became executive director of Developmental Disabilities Ministries, an Atlanta-based nonprofit serving adults and their families through the operation of 19 homes across Georgia. He and his wife Amy have two adult children, Clark and Aaron (Erin).

Operations Administrator Don Janney is one of our own, a long-time member of NDBC. During the 40-plus years since he and wife Syd came to Northside Drive, he has served our church in many roles, including as moderator, member and chair of various committees, and singer in our sanctuary choir. He regularly attends the Art and Soul church school class. 

Before retiring in 2013, Don was a long-time partner in the Troutman Sanders law firm. His legal and operational prowess have been a great gift to NDBC, seen especially in his help in dealing with various church facilities and legal issues. 

He and Syd have two children, Taylor (Christine) and Camden (William), and a beloved grandson Wilder.

We anticipate that Greg and Don will be meeting with Daniel over the weeks ahead to ensure a smooth handoff of roles before beginning their interim positions October 1. These roles will continue until we welcome a new full-time senior minister, hopefully late this year or in early 2022. The Church Council has endorsed this interim leadership plan. We hope you will join us in welcoming Greg and Don to their new roles.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the lay leaders and other volunteers in our church who have worked diligently together to help fill the gaps in our leadership as we work our way through this transition period. NDBC has a wonderful heritage of fellowship and diverse ministries, and we all look forward to new beginnings and continuing faithful service to our church and its mission.

Jo Meeks, Moderator

Jack Guynn, Personnel Committee Chair