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| Rev. Mike Jones |
This Sunday will be Jones's last at Marion Baptist. He informed his congregation late last month that he's being led to pastor at a church in Owensboro.
Jones, 54, came to Marion’s largest Baptist church in 2007. His tenure at Marion Baptist has seen a number of changes as churches in rural America have struggled to attract and retain regulars. To combat the nation’s declining number of churchgoers, Jones said his ministry at Marion has been involved in outreach and growth through new and innovative measures.
A contemporary, earlier worship service on Sundays, Faith in Action community outreach and a Big Buck Expo and CenterShot Archery program tailored toward outdoorsy types have been among the pastor’s signature programs over the past decade.
“We have been truly blessed here,” said Jones, whose wife Annette, works as a teller at Famers Bank & Trust Co.
They raised their son while living in Marion and their daughter found a husband here. It’s been a nice home and nice place to raise children, Jones explained. His son Brennen graduated from Crittenden County High School last spring and is now a freshman at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. His daughter, Kaitlyn, married Jason Dunbar, who was the church’s minister of music and youth. They recently left for a church near Bowling Green.
“We have tried to invest in the community,” Jones said about his time in Marion.
He has served as a chaplain at the hospital, on the Chamber of Commerce board of directors, on the Interagency Council and Ministerial Association.
Marion Baptist has 617 members on its rolls, making it the town’s largest Baptist congregation and perhaps the largest church in the entire community. Jones will become pastor at Macedonia Baptist Church on the east side of Owensboro. It is a larger church than Marion Baptist. For the rest of this article, see the March 29, 2018 issue of The Crittenden Press printed edition.
