Our Leadership

About BHBC

		Mike Stephens - Senior Pastor Mike has been serving as Senior Pastor of Burnt Hickory since 1986. He leads the church to function as a New Testament Church and works closely with the staff and church to direct Burnt Hickory in the achievement of its mission. Pastor Mike received his B.A. in Bible from Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi and his Masters of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Viewed by the congregation as an authentic leader who loves people, Mike chooses to make the church's hospital visits. The congregation loves his "southern charm" and wacky sense of humor - Mike loves sharing his bowl of candy with the children, who adore him. Mike and his wife, Betty, have two adult children, Brittany and Michael. He enjoys long walks with his dogs, Dozer and Daisy.

		Marty Godfrey - Executive Pastor As the Executive Pastor, Marty works with Pastor Mike to give leadership to the staff and the church's ministries. Prior to joining Burnt Hickory in 2004, Marty used his passion for evangelism and discipleship as he served for 10 years as a pastor of Christian Education. In addition to his seminary degree from Luther Rice, Marty is a Bulldog from the University of Georgia, with a BBA in Accounting and an MBA in Finance, as well as 16 years experience in a large corporation. Pastor Marty and his wife, Becky, have three children, Matt, Chris and Stephanie. Marty enjoys tennis, coaching sports, mountain excursions to trout fish, and trying new BBQ dives.

		Barry Cook - Minister of Music Barry has been Minister of Music at Burnt Hickory since 1996 after having served as Minister of Music at other churches, as well as teaching school, driving a truck and working as a flight attendant. Barry graduated from West Georgia College after studying music, theater and education. He is married to Allyson and they have one son, Cody. The Cooks enjoy traveling, camping and taking care of their cats and dogs.

		Mark Blackburn - Director of Media Mark Blackburn is a legend - a legend that will last a lunchtime. Born in Marietta, Georgia, Mark became a Christ-follower and believer in November 1984 at the age of 21. Attending the Music Business Institute until 1983 and Chattahoochee Technical College until 2000, Mark is now the Dean of the Blackburn School of Excellence, where he and his wife, Lisa, homeschool their three boys, Nathan, Eli, and Joshua. A lover of music, Mark was a founding member of the seminal Christian Pop Jangle band Jacob's Trouble in 1987, recording 4 albums over the next 5 years. After his songwriting contribution to Third Day's "Offerings" album, Mark now enjoys spending time dating his wife, raising his kids, cutting the grass and driving his 1978 VW bus.

		Jim Kilpatrick - Minister of Adults Jim works with our Executive Pastor, Marty, to give leadership to our Adult Ministry. He is responsible for leading and developing our LifeGroups (a.k.a. Sunday School) and our Discipleship courses. Before coming to Georgia, Jim was in South Florida for almost 20 years where he served as a Pastor, Missions Pastor and Minister of Education. He received a Masters of Divinity with an emphasis in Biblical Studies from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a Masters of Art from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife, Jenny, have four boys: JJ, Kenneth, Calvin and Jared. Jim enjoys golf, fishing and watching his boys play sports.

		Matt Petty - Minister of Students Born in Mableton, Georgia, Matt moved to West Cobb in his early teenage years. After graduating from McEachern High School, he attended the University of West Georgia where he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration and Finance. During his sophomore year of college, Matt accepted the position of Student Pastor at Oak Grove Baptist Church in Carrollton, Georgia, later becoming the Minister of Students and Education. Matt married his college sweetheart, Melissa, in January 2001, and after 5 years of service at Oak Grove, the couple joined the family at Burnt Hickory in July 2001. Matt and Melissa have two sons, five-year-old son, Blake and ten-month-old Dalton, and spend their time chasing the kids and enjoying life. Matt loves to run, bike, swim, and spend time outside.

		Aaron Holloway - Minister of Children As the Minister of Children, Aaron provides leadership to the Children's Ministry here at Burnt Hickory. Prior to joining the BHBC pastoral team, Aaron served as a missionary for Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia to assist churches in the development of children's ministry and youth evangelism. Aaron also served as a children's pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Maryland and was a teacher at Charles County Public Schools in Maryland. He has a Bachelors Degree from Western Baptist College and is currently pursuing his seminary degree from Liberty Theological Seminary. Pastor Aaron and his wife, Tina, have two young daughters, Kayla and Kendall.

		Cindy Smith - Director of Preschool Ministry Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Cindy has lived in Cobb County all of her life. Cindy has worked with preschoolers and children for 22 years, after God called her to serve Him full-time in children's ministry in 1998. In January of 1999 she became the Director of Children's Ministry at First Baptist Powder Springs and was on staff for 5 years. God led Cindy and her husband of 26 years, Bo, to Burnt Hickory in May 2006 where she serves as the Director of Preschool Ministries. The Smiths have two adult daughters, Amber and Lindsay. Cindy enjoys spending time with her family and friends, being outside, and attending women's Bible studies.

		Joy McKinney - Director of Weekday Preschool Joy McKinney is a native Atlantan! She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Child Development/Early Childhood Education. She and Mike McKinney were married 37 years ago, fresh out of high school. They have three children and have parented their two nephews for the past twelve years. Recently Joy and Mike have become grandparents. Joy has a passion and love for preschoolers and their parents. The Weekday Education Program here at BHBC has been a part of Joy's life for the past 29 years: first as a parent, then as a teacher of 3 and 4 year olds, and since 1991 as the director. She enjoys reading, taking cruises, and creating desserts.

		Chip Vincent - Business Administrator Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Chip was raised in New Port Richey, Florida. He relocated to Tallahassee to attend college at Florida State University (Go Noles!) where he earned degrees in Accounting, Finance, and a Masters in Accounting Information Systems. Chip worked as a lending officer and financial consultant, but in 2000, he felt God's call to accept the position of Financial Manager at Thomasville Road Baptist Church. He married his college sweetheart, Traci, one year later and soon after that accepted the position of Business Administrator at Burnt Hickory. Chip and Traci have two sons, Tyler and Preston, and enjoy spending time together, watching movies, eating out and traveling. Occasionally you might catch a glimpse of Chip playing drums on a Sunday morning.

		Ted Vinson - Director of Facilities Born in Macon, Georgia, Ted attended Southern Tech where he majored in Engineering. He served in the Army during Vietnam in a Military Police Unit. Following God's call, he began his career in facilities management at Marietta First Baptist, Lockheed, and most recently, Roswell Street, where he remained for 17 years before coming to Burnt Hickory. Ted and his wife, Donna, have been married for 36 years and have an adult daughter. His hobbies include Boy Scouts, camping and reading.

		Martha Coyle - Director of Food Services Martha grew up in Tennessee and moved to Georgia 38 years ago. She has been married to her husband, Mike, for 31 years, with two adult children and two grandchildren. God has blessed Martha with the opportunity to serve Him through a Church Food Service Ministry for the past 33 years, the last four years she has enjoyed the privilege of serving Him at Burnt Hickory Baptist Church.