Al Baker, a Teaching Elder in the PCA and a fellow PEF Affiliate Evangelist with the author, has been called to become the new Director of the Alabama Church Planting Network and has resigned as pastor of the Christ Community Presbyterian Church in West Hartford Connecticut, effective January 1.

Al is one of the most experienced church planters in the PCA. A Birmingham native, after graduating from the University of Alabama and then Reformed Theological Seminary (1981), he was called by the old Mid-Atlantic Presbytery and was ordained as the church planter for the Sycamore PC in Midlothian, VA. After that start up, he moved on to staff with the Perimeter Church in the greater Atlanta area, where he ended up being the church planter for the Christ PC in Marietta, Georgia. Both of these churches are thriving congregations today

In 1989 he left the pastorate to focus on his love for evangelism, working with Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship. But in 1993 he moved to the Golden Isles area of Georgia (near Brunswick) and for 10 years built up the Golden Isles PC on St. Simons Island.

Ten years later, having not lost the itch to do church planting he decided to shift into ‘foreign missions’ and moved to West Hartford, Connecticut (remember now, he’s an Alabama boy) when he successfully planted Christ Community Presbyterian and has been serving that church as pastor for the past seven plus years.

All during this period he remained connected with PEF, and in his new role with the Alabama Church Planting Network (which is only a half-time paid position) will continue to do evangelistic preaching and training as part of the PEF staff.

The Director of the Alabama Church Planting Network coordinates church planting in three Alabama presbyteries: Evangel, Providence and Southeast. Since 2006, the ACPN has followed God’s lead in starting ten PCA churches and partnering in the start-up of six other like-minded congregations.

Al’s primary responsibilities will be coaching and training church planters, leading monthly network meetings, working with presbytery leaders to develop a strategic plan for church planting, promoting the network and church planting opportunities to seminary communities and prospective church planters, providing the administrative leadership to assure the effective operation of the network, promoting church planting in area churches, consulting with mother churches as they seek God about starting daughter churches.

In his resignation letter to the West Hartford congregation, Al said this about his leaving:

This decision has been very hard on Wini and me. We have grown to love New England, more than we ever thought possible; and we love you all so very, very much. If you are able at this moment to step back and think this through with us, then I hope you can see that these two positions fit so very well my gifts and passions for ministry. And if you know my pastoral history then you can see that moving around is in my DNA. It just seems to be the way God has “wired” me.

While I may die tomorrow or live to be ninety I realize, as I approach the age of sixty, that I may not have many years of healthy and vibrant ministry left. I had to ask myself—where do I believe I can make the greatest investment for the kingdom of God? Leaving the pastoral ministry, even one we love so much, for these new positions seems wise and prudent.

Wini and I want to stay until the first of the year to do all we can to solidify the wonderful progress this congregation has made.

In the meantime, Al will be one of the featured speakers, along with John Sartelle, at the annual PEF Conference to be held at Milligan College in Tennessee on July 11 to 16. Click here for a copy of the conference brochure.

Don Clements is a Teaching Elder in the PCA and serves as director of Metokos Ministries (a PEF related work). He is also the co-founder and publisher of The Aquila Report. Don and his wife, Esther, live in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia (where the Appalachian Trail crosses the New River – yes it is that beautiful!)

[Editor’s note: One or more original URLs (links) referenced in this article are no longer valid; those links have been removed.]