Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta has named a new senior pastor to replace longtime leader, the Rev. Bryant Wright.
The congregation unanimously approved Clay Smith to assume the helm of the influential church, according to Johnson Ferry’s Facebook page.
According to the Christian Index, Wright will continue on the staff alongside Smith from Sept. 8 until early December.
Smith currently serves as senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Matthews, N.C.
According to the Christian Index, Smith previously served as the minister of adults at Shandon Baptist in Columbia, S.C. and associate pastor of outreach and education at Alice Drive Baptist in Sumter, S.C.
Related: Johnson Ferry searches for new pastor
He is the son of a pastor and earned a master’s of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.
Wright, who founded the church in 1981, announced late last year that he was winding down his time as senior pastor.
Wright, the influential pastor, author and former president of the powerful Southern Baptist Convention said in a previous interview that he he was listening to his inner spirit.
Johnson Ferry has 7,300 members.
"God was saying it's time to let go of something we loved very much, but we had to trust him to lead us to the next pastor," said Wright, who has led the church for nearly four decades. "We have a multigenerational congregation, which I love, yet I know it will be healthy in thinking about the future of the church. We need a pastor who can connect with millennials, younger Gen Xers and those after them."
Wright could not be reached for comment Monday night.
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