John Granger hadn’t really given much thought to becoming an associational director of missions (DOM). He was serving as pastor of Goodman Baptist Church, Enterprise, and teaching classes at the Baptist College of Florida and a New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary extension center. He imagined he’d always stay in a teaching role.
But then one day, one of the other professors mentioned that he thought Granger would make a good DOM.
“God seemed to be saying to me, don’t slam those doors, see what I’ve got in store,” he said.
And when the DOM in his home area — Coffee Baptist Association — retired, Granger submitted a resumé. He was officially voted in during the association’s annual meeting in October 2000, and it seems like his professor was right about it being a good fit — this year marks his 20th anniversary.
In the past 20 years, the “association has grown in about every way you can think,” Granger said. They’ve been part of starting the state’s Hispanic Baptist coalition, planted churches among different ethnic and language groups and had an active Disaster Relief ministry — which responded when a devastating tornado hit their own area in 2007.
They’ve had large evangelistic events, a thriving Woman’s Missionary Union and Baptist Men ministry and a radio show with a broad reach.
“The association has been blessed in lots and lots of ways,” Granger said. “It’s been a good place to be.”
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