First Church, Mobile, staff change

Jim Barnette is the new interim pastor of First Church, Mobile. He is associate professor of religion and director of ministerial formation at Samford University in Birmingham. A Samford alum, Barnette received his master’s and doctorate degrees from Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky. He has served as pastor of churches in Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama. Barnette will continue his duties at Samford while serving as interim. He and his wife, Deanna, have two children.