After more than 18 years of service, Buddy McGohon recently announced he will retire as director of missions for Montgomery Baptist Association in January.
Although he will be officially stepping down, McGohon does not plan to quit working. McGohon said he plans to lead a few conferences, do some consulting and will continue strategic planning with churches.
“I’m probably not completely retiring,” he said. “I have no specific plans but will do whatever else the Lord opens up.”
McGohon, who turned 65 last year, said it was his decision to retire. “The association deserves someone who can function at peak capacity,” he said. “I want to retire while I am still effective.”
McGohon — who attended Georgetown College and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. — also served as pastor of various churches in Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama for 28 years before taking the director of missions position.
Successful ministry
While McGohon is looking forward to retirement, he said he will miss several things about working with the Montgomery Association.
“I’ll miss working with the people here,” he said. “This group has been so cooperative and encouraging.”
McGohon said he will also miss the missions opportunities that his job has provided.
“We’ve partnered with a church to start an inner-city ministry in Montgomery and networked with other conventions and associations to support a campus chaplain at Hong Kong Baptist University,” he said. “We’ve also worked to help start a Hispanic ministry with Eastern Hills Baptist Church and Vaughn Forest Baptist Church.”
Another ministry that McGohon helped launch in his association is Peer Learning Clusters, an enrichment program for pastors. Over the past three years about 15 pastors have been involved in this ministry.
“This came out of a strategic planning process back in 1999,” he said. “Groups of pastors meet monthly for fellowship and study. We explore areas of leadership issues to improve their skills and encourage them.”
Billy Nutt, former director of the associational and cooperative missions office with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, has known McGohon for the past 25 years.
“Buddy is a very creative person and is visionary,” Nutt said. “He has always worked toward meeting the challenges of the future rather than just maintaining the status quo.”
McGohon is quick to point out that he can’t take credit for all that has been accomplished during his time with the association.
“This is illustrative of the joy and fulfillment that has been mine in helping lead the association to creatively address the needs of churches,” he said.
Joan Hedden has worked as McGohon’s ministry assistant for five years and said he is very compassionate and has innovative vision.
“He’s always expanding his mind and challenging us,” Hedden said. “He’s on the cutting edge but at the same time is also one of the most humble men I know — which is something considering the credentials that he has.”
Hedden said she’s sad to lose McGohon as a co-worker and fellow associational member.
“I knew he would retire one day but I didn’t think it would be so soon,” she said. “He has a heart for other people and leaves a strong legacy in our association.”
McGohon said he and his wife, Barbara, will be able to spend more time with their mothers who live in Kentucky and their three daughters who live in Birmingham, Pell City and Tuscaloosa.
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