Leadership

Stanley serves as the Senior Pastor.  He has been a Pastor, preaching God’s word for 28 years in Georgia.  His first church he served as Pastor for 15 years, then served 3 years in Evangelism, 4 years as an Associate Pastor and 9 years as Senior Pastor before moving to Ripley, Mississippi in September of 2022. He is CEO of Words of Truth Teaching Ministry, a non-profit that does ministry in America and Uganda, Africa.  He is married to Rita Thursby Phillips and together they have 4 children and 8 grandchildren.

Greg Beaty serves as the Associate Pastor for Worship & Senior Adults.  He has faithfully served 6 churches across Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi as Worship Pastor over the past 35 years. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration (with an emphasis in Marketing) and a B.A. in Music,  from Union University, and a M.Min. degree (with emphasis in Pastoral Care) from Covington Theological Seminary.  
Bro. Greg has been married to his wife, Amy, for 27 years, and they have 3 fantastic children; Eli, Clay, and Abby.  In his spare time, he loves playing golf and watching all Ole Miss sports. 

Johnnie Smith serves as the Youth Minister and brings over a decade of experience in youth ministry. He has faithfully served in various roles across three different churches over the past 10 years. While attending Mississippi College, Johnnie was actively involved in the Baptist Student Union, serving as Vice President and participating in the apartment ministries team for two years.In addition to ministry, Johnnie spent seven years teaching in the Mississippi public school system while serving as a bi-vocational youth minister. His passion for guiding and encouraging the next generation is evident both inside and outside the church.
Johnnie is married to AnnaLea, and together they have a sweet daughter, Lela. He enjoys sharing God’s Word, cheering on the Florida Gators, and spending quality time with his family.

 

Karen Shelby serves as the Director of Preschool Ministries. She served as the Children’s Church teacher and has for many years. Karen has been a member of FBC for 25 years. Karen has also in the past served as the Director of Rainbow Kids Preschool for over 18 years. Karen is the mother of three daughters Morgan, Paige and Kathryn. She has three grandchildren Shelby and Case Hamblin and Riggins Henry.

Laken Green serves as the Daycare Director. While Laken is new to this role,  she is not new to the daycare setting. During her years at college, Laken served a full-time caregiver, part-time caregiver and Director’s Designee for all age groups at the daycare. This along with her past work experience as a Children’s Protective Services social worker and mental health therapist for Region IV fueled her passion for serving children and their families. Laken obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Mississippi and then her Masters in Social Work from Louisiana State University. She is married to Jake Green and has three children: Aiden, Archie, and Avie.

Janet Turner serves as Office Manager. She is married to Michael, and they have two daughters, Jennifer and Mandy, and three grandsons: Taylor, Easton, and Christopher.  Janet is a member of North Ripley Baptist Church, where she has served as church pianist for 35 years.

Randle Paseur serves as Director for Buildings and Grounds Maintenance, a role he’s held for 20 years. He is married to Kristy.