Annual Meeting Speakers
Jarrett Stephens
Senior Pastor, Champion Forest, Houston, TX
Dr. Jarrett Stephens serves as Senior Pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church, in Northwest Houston. A native of Louisiana, Jarrett graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. He received his Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and his Doctor of Ministry from Liberty Theological Seminary.
Jarrett also serves on the boards of Dallas Baptist University and Houston Church Planting Network which clearly points to his passions of serving the least of these in the inner cities, to raising up the next generation of Christian leaders, and to equipping churches to be on mission.
Jarrett is the author of two books, The Mountains Are Calling: Making the Climb for a Clearer View of God and Ourselves, and his most recent book, The Always God: He Hasn’t Changed, and You Are Not Forgotten. He also hosts the Forward with Jarrett Stephens podcast. Each episode contains engaging interviews and shares inspiring stories dealing with a wide range of topics including leadership challenges, cultural issues, and day to day church life.
Jarrett and his wife, Debbie, have four daughters: Riley, Kelsey, Cameron, and Landry.
Rhys Stenner
Senior Pastor, New Hope Baptist Church, Fayetteville
Rhys Stenner has been the Senior Pastor at New Hope since 2005. Throughout this time, he has been preaching at both locations in Fayetteville and Senoia.
Rhys studied at the London School of Theology, where he met Louise.
Rhys pastored in his hometown
Teignmouth in Devon, where he had been converted, aged 14, through the witness of a punk rocker.
He then served for 13 years at Holland Road Baptist Church in Hove, England, once led by Charles Spurgeon’s son.
For 30 years, Rhys has led mission trips to Wales and has been connected to the Welsh rugby team for the past 15 years.
Rhys has authored four books, including If in Doubt, Rugby and Revival, Who Me? And, released this May, Hometown Revival.
He is married to Louise and has three married daughters and three grandchildren.
Rhys is Welsh for “passion” or “enthusiasm” and the name of a victorious warrior prince.
Patrick Latham
Senior Pastor, Tabernacle Baptist Church, Cartersville
Dr. Patrick Latham is the Lead Pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cartersville, GA. He has served in pastoral ministry for over 20 years, having pastored churches in Georgia and Oklahoma.
Patrick is a graduate of University of Oklahoma (BA), New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv.), and Luther Rice University (DMin).
Patrick has been married to Laura, whom he met while in seminary. He and Laura are natives of Marietta, GA. Together they have three teenagers, Julianne, Will, and Levi, and their loveable Aussie Doodle, Boomer.
Patrick’s purpose in life is helping people grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
Matt Petty
Senior Pastor, Burnt Hickory Baptist Church, Powder Springs
Matt Petty has been leading church ministries since 1997 and has seen thousands of students and adults give their lives to Jesus and begin to serve God. Matt joined the Pastoral team of Burnt Hickory in July of 2001 as the Student Pastor.
For 18 years Matt has given leadership to the RADIATE students and staff team that walks with middle school, high school, and college-aged students here at Burnt Hickory. Matt has been a key leader in student ministry here in this community as well as in the state of Georgia and nation. His love of the next generation has been on display consistently within and outside the walls of Burnt Hickory.
Matt is a native of Cobb County, and one of his desires as Senior Pastor is to see all people of his home in West Cobb and Paulding County know Jesus, serve Jesus, and for the church to be a place of love and healing that Burnt Hickory has been since its beginning.
Matt is married to his college love, Melissa, and has two boys Blake and Dalton. If not doing ministry at BHBC, you can usually find the Petty family on a sports field somewhere in Georgia or enjoying all things outdoors. Matt has a Bachelor's degree from the University of West Georgia in Business Finance and a Master’s in Theology from Liberty University.
Steve Browning
Senior Pastor, First Baptist Alpharetta & Georgia Baptist Convention President
Steve Browning serves as Lead Pastor of First Baptist Church Alpharetta and is the current President of the Georgia Baptist Convention.
Under his leadership, FBC Alpharetta has become a growing multisite church, reaching its community, planting churches, and expanding its investment in missions. For more than 20 years, he has led in ministry through the local church, serving in Florida, Virginia, Georgia, and Alabama. He is passionate about seeing people come to know Jesus and sending others out to make Him known. Steve holds degrees from Palm Beach Atlantic University, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv), and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
He is married to the love of his life, Beth, and they have four children: Caleb, Christa, Will, and Drew.
Thomas Hammond
Executive Director, Georgia Baptist Mission Board
On January 1, 2019, W. Thomas Hammond, Jr. became the executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. Previously, he served as the lead pastor of Alpharetta First Baptist Church from 2013-2018.
Rev. Hammond served as vice president for Convention Advancement with the SBC Executive Committee; senior director of Church Evangelism with the North American Mission Board; director of missions at the Metrolina Baptist Association in Charlotte, North Carolina; minister of evangelism at Hebron Baptist Church, Dacula, Georgia; and evangelism associate at the Ohio Baptist Convention. Rev. Hammond has also served as president of the Georgia Baptist Convention (2015-2017).
Because of his passion for those who are without Christ, Rev. Hammond as Georgia Baptist Convention president led the Convention to implement The Big Invite campaign, which encouraged Georgia Baptists to invite their lost family and friends to church on Easter Sunday. The goal was to have 1 million Georgians in church on Easter Sunday in 2017. He is also the creator/originator of The NET, Evangelism Planter Software, TheBigDay.org, Praying your Neighbors to Christ, The Visitor Friendly Church, 316 Prayer Card, and One Hour Witness Training. In addition to reaching the lost, Rev. Hammond loves pastors. He encouraged Georgia Baptist pastors to begin praying for one another through the Pastor Prayer Network during his time as the president of the Convention.
Rev. Hammond is a graduate of Augusta State University in Augusta, Georgia as well as Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee. He is married to Kerri Russ Hammond, and they have two daughters, Katie Elisabeth and
Karley Marie.