After 33 years, Wayne Scarborough Sr. will be retiring from his role as pastor of Auburn Heights Baptist Church, Phenix City, on Dec. 31. Rodney Mitchell, associate pastor and minister of music, will step up as pastor of Auburn Heights Baptist when Scarborough retires. Mitchell has served at Auburn Heights alongside Scarborough for the last three decades.
Scarborough said, “My replacement … is a man of integrity, who has a very deep love for God and His people, which we have shared for 31 years together in preparation for this divine moment of him as an associate pastor taking up the banner of senior pastor.”
Prior to entering the ministry, Scarborough served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army, and then was an electronic technician for the government. He became a pastor in 1979, serving first at Bellwood Baptist Church and then moving into a role at First Baptist Church, McHenry, Mississippi. His third calling as pastor was to serve at Auburn Heights starting in 1985, and he’s been there ever since.
Looking back on his years at Auburn Heights, Scarborough says he’s most proud of the way his church members have grown in their love for both the Lord and one another.
“The Lord has sustained the church through many trials, and the Lord’s people have bonded even more through the trials and victories the Lord has brought us all through,” he said.
In retirement, Scarborough is looking forward to spending more time with his wife of 47 years, Rhonda. The couple has one son and three grandchildren. (Anna Keller)
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