A Letter from the Harpeth Heights Pastor Candidate

Lauren and I are thrilled and humbled by the opportunity to serve at the Church at Harpeth Heights! The Lord has made it clear He is leading us to the Church at Harpeth Heights, and we can’t wait to love, lead, and learn alongside such amazing people.

It will be my honor to serve as the Campus and Teaching Pastor as I preach the Bible, develop and encourage the staff, and love the church family there. God has done great things at the Church at Harpeth Heights, and we know He’s not done with His work. Lauren and I can’t wait to do life with you all as we engage the whole person with the whole gospel of Jesus Christ anywhere, anytime, with anybody.

Brandon Hays

Brandon Hays Bio

Brandon Hays currently serves as the Preaching and Executive NextGen Pastor at SouthCrest Baptist Church. He leads two of the Sunday morning worship services and oversees a team of four pastors, three ministry directors, and twelve support staff within the NextGen ministry. He also works with the other executive pastors to execute the church’s mission and initiatives effectively.

Previously, Brandon served as the College Pastor, where he preached in weekly gatherings and led a team of six staff members serving over 200 college students. During this time, he also developed and mobilized 20 student leaders, creating a culture of discipleship within the college ministry. Prior to that, as a Middle School Pastor from 2010 to 2015, Brandon implemented a strategy to empower parents as the primary disciplers of their children, fostering spiritual and numerical growth in the middle school ministry.

Brandon and his wife, Lauren, both grew up in Florida, have been married since 2011, and have two young children, Haddon and Carolina-Tate. He enjoys spending time with his family and being outdoors.

Brandon Hays Education & Experience

Education

Doctor of Ministry | Talbot School of Theology

Master of Divinity | Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies | The Baptist College of Florida

Experience

Preaching/Executive NextGen Pastor | Southcrest Baptist Church, Lubbock, TX, 2019–Present

College Pastor | Southcrest Baptist Church, Lubbock, TX 2015–2019

Middle School Pastor | Southcrest Baptist Church, Lubbock, TX 2010–2015

Student Pastor | Central Baptist Church, Itasca, TX 2007–2010

From the Harpeth Heights Pastor Search Team

As we have prayed through this season of searching out a new pastor and sought God’s will and direction, two things seemed paramount to us: to find the man whose heart God had touched with the call to come to Harpeth Heights and to be unified in our decision. We found this unity and are so excited to present Brandon Hays to you as our candidate. We have come to know him as a genuine, approachable, and kind leader, and we were encouraged by how he demonstrated clear theological convictions during the interview process as he responded to challenging questions with grace and truth. His love for his family and the church were evident from our conversations. He also has had experience coaching and developing a team, which we believe will translate well to leadership at Harpeth. He clearly has a love for seeing people grow spiritually. It is clear that the Gospel is at the center of his theological convictions, and he has a gift of sharing the Gospel in a clear, passionate, articulate way. Most importantly, Brandon’s emphasis on prayer – both in his personal life and with and for others – is evident. We are excited to present him to you as our candidate, and we pray that the Lord unifies our church as we discern our next steps.

Patsy Grooms, Gary Woodard, and Rebekah Martin

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