WOODSTOCK, Ga. — Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Ga., and immediate past president of the Southern Baptist Convention, has extended his leave of absence from the church through mid-September, citing physical and emotional exhaustion.
Hunt had been expected to return to the Woodstock pulpit Aug. 8 following his annual July sabbatical. However, Jim Law, senior associate pastor and administrator of the church, announced Hunt and Hunt’s wife, Janet, will extend their leave by another six weeks.
The decision came on the counsel of a professional who encouraged the couple to extend their time away from ministerial responsibilities, Law explained.
Reading from a prepared statement, Law noted an “incredibly busy schedule for both of them, particularly the past two years serving our church family while at the same time serving our beloved denomination, they found themselves physically and emotionally depleted.”
Law said Hunt is expected to return to the pulpit Sept. 19.
On Aug. 7, the night before his expected return, Hunt sent out a note through Twitter saying he was taking a leave of absence from Twitter and Facebook so he could spend more time with his wife.
Hunt was sidelined earlier this year, in the middle of his second term as president of the denomination, as he underwent successful prostate surgery Jan. 7.
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