Pastor Julie Pennington Russell is stepping down as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Decatur after eight years of leading the historic church.
In an April 29 open letter to the congregation, Pennington-Russell, 54, said she and her husband have decided that “for the sake of my own mental, physical and spiritual health, I must step away from First Baptist Decatur.”
Pennington-Russell is the first woman to lead that church, which today has about 400 worshippers on any given Sunday and about 700 members.
She cited the congregation’s decision in 2011 and 2012 to restructure the annual budget and the subsequent loss of some staff and members as the first of several challenges the church has faced.
“During these difficult times, I have done my best to listen for God and to lead this congregation according to Holy Spirit’s guidance,” she wrote. “However, I’m afraid that today our church has become “stuck. The sticking point for more than a few appears to be me, and my leadership.”
Her last day is May 31.
Pennington-Russell said the church has already done most of the heavy lifting.
The church has a diverse congregation that is reflective of the city of Atlanta, she said. She led efforts to welcome members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in all aspects of the church’s ministries.
“The general assumption is that things got so bad that the pastor has to leave,” she said. “That’s really not the case. It’s my own decision.”
Pennington-Russell wants to assess her future vocation and the meaning of her life.
She plans to take a couple of months to “be still and to be quiet and listen to God.” She also plans to complete a book. Pennington-Russell, the daughter of a U.S. Air Force sergeant and a schoolteacher, is also not ruling out a return to a pastoral position.
Her ministerial work has not been without controversy.
The Georgia Baptist Convention in 2009 severed its longtime ties with First Baptist Church of Decatur, after it called Pennington-Russell as pastor. The church is now part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship .
Pennington-Russell’s time as pastor or leader “makes her story a unique one, especially given that she is a Baptist woman and a good number of Baptists still oppose the idea of woman pastor,” said Pam Durso, executive director of the Baptist Women in Ministry.
“Julie has had to walk into many positions and opportunities as the “first woman” to serve, and while for many the role of trailblazer is burdensome, Julie met this challenge over and over again with her characteristic warmth and graciousness,” said Durso.
Pennington-Russell has been a mentor to other women in the ministry. She was the first woman Durso heard preach and, “because of her, I knew that I too could follow God and live out my calling.”
While Pennington-Russell would like to see another woman lead the church, she really just wants the most qualified person to be chosen for the role.
Her family would like to stay in Atlanta but will consider going wherever God leads them. She is married Tim Pennington-Russell and the couple have two young adult children.
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