Por Aaron Weaver
DECATUR, Ga. — The CBF Nominating Committee has selected Rev. Melissa Hatfield to serve as Moderator-Elect in 2026-2027. Hatfield currently serves as senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Jefferson City, Mo., and as a member of the CBF Governing Board.
Hatfield has been a member of First Baptist Church since her junior year of high school. She first preached at the church as a 17-year-old and later returned to the congregation after college, volunteering in the youth ministry before being called in 2000 to serve on staff. Hatfield served for more than two decades in youth and missions ministry before being called as senior pastor in February 2023.
Hatfield is a graduate of Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo., and earned a Master of Education degree in secondary counseling from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo. She was licensed to gospel ministry by First Baptist Church, Jefferson City, in 2004 and ordained to gospel ministry by the church in 2022. Her service to the Fellowship includes membership on the CBF Governing Board, previous service on the CBF Heartland Coordinating Council and recognition as a CBF Leadership Scholarship recipient.
Hatfield expressed gratitude for the nomination and for the Fellowship’s impact on her congregation and ministry.
“I am humbled to be nominated for the role of Moderator-Elect,” Hatfield said. “It is not a small thing to me. It is, however, a surprising thing, and if you know my story at all, you know that surprise has been a fairly faithful companion. For the most part, it’s been a pleasant one, so I am as optimistic as a Midwesterner dare be about serving in this role.
“CBF has been another faithful companion, too, to both my congregation and to me. We, in the Heartland, are grateful. I believe God continues to do something in the Fellowship worth investing in and showing up for, so I said yes. I don’t know exactly where the journey will lead, but I do know most journeys are better because of the company you keep. And based on the people I continue to meet throughout the Fellowship, I’d say we’re in for a grand adventure, one led by the love of Christ as we partner together to transform God’s world. That’s an adventure worth saying yes to.”
CBF Executive Coordinator Paul Baxley said Hatfield’s pastoral experience, leadership gifts and deep commitment to the Fellowship position her well for this new role.
“I am so glad that Melissa Hatfield has accepted the invitation of the Nominating Committee to serve as CBF’s Moderator-Elect,” Baxley said. “She is an outstanding pastor and is already offering important leadership on our Governing Board. Her years of experience in student ministry, her strong commitment to her congregation, her gifts as a preacher, teacher and leader, her instincts around organizational health, her love for our Fellowship and belief in our calling together all position her well to lead us. I look forward to serving with Melissa in the years ahead.”
Joby Tricquet, pastor of Fairfax Baptist Church in Fairfax, Va., and chair of the CBF Nominating Committee, said the 2026-2027 nominees represent “the beautiful tapestry that is CBF.”
“This year’s slate is the result of a year-long endeavor of prayerful listening and discerning the needs of each of our governance bodies,” Tricquet said. “Coming from coast to coast and corner to corner of our Fellowship, our nominees represent the beautiful tapestry that is CBF. We are particularly excited to nominate Rev. Melissa Hatfield as Moderator-Elect for 2026-2027. Melissa has a long steady presence at FBC Jefferson City, Mo., from student to lay leader to ministry staff to senior pastor. Her leadership over those decades bears witness to the wide array of giftedness she brings to her new role with CBF. We look forward to that same steady guidance for our Fellowship in the days ahead.”
The CBF Nominating Committee will present Hatfield for approval from the General Assembly, June 17-19, in Jacksonville, Fla., along with additional nominees to serve on the Fellowship’s Governing Board, Missions Council and Ministries Council.
Additionally, the CBF Governing Board will present nominee recommendations to serve on the Nominating Committee, Council on Endorsement, as well as the board of the CBF Foundation. At the conclusion of the 2026 General Assembly, current Moderator-Elect Jason Callahan will assume the role of Moderator, the Fellowship’s highest-ranking office, currently held by Tanya Parks.
Nominating Committee Report:
Gobernanza
Moderator-Elect— Melissa Hatfield, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Jefferson City, Mo.
Consejo de Administración
Ronald Oliver (1-year Term), Vice President of Mission and Outreach, Norton Healthcare, St. Matthews Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky.
Alan Rudnick (2-year Term), Senior Minister, DeWitt Community Church, DeWitt, N.Y.
Wayne Weathers, Senior Pastor, Vision of Hope Baptist Church, Jenkintown, Penn.
Amy Jacober, Teaching Pastor, Harbor Church, Phoenix, Ariz.
Dick Bodenhamer, Laity, Vestavia Hills Baptist Church, Birmingham, Ala.
Lance Mayes, Associate Pastor of Community Engagement, Woodlands Church, San Antonio Texas
Consejo de Misiones
Georgia Smith (1-year Term), Laity, University Baptist Church, Baltimore, Md.
Janie Wallace, Retired HR Professional, Ball Camp Baptist Church, Knoxville, Tenn.
Jo Kirkendall, Retired Healthcare Chaplain, Biloxi, Miss.
Kris Aaron, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Bristol Va.
Alaina Caridi, Laity, Bayshore Baptist Church, Tampa Fla.
Consejo de Ministros
Kim Cook (1-year Term), Laity, Citizens Church, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Matthew Hensley (1-Year Term), Associate Pastor, First Baptist Church, Richmond, Va.
J.D. McDonald, Co-Pastor, Emmaus Way Fellowship, Johnson City, Tenn.
Chris Thomas, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Wilson, N.C.
Scott Capshaw, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tahoe City, Calif.
Naomi Black-Bass, Minister to Youth and Families, Knollwood Baptist Church, Anderson, N.C.
Junta de Beneficios de la Iglesia
Juan L. Garcia, Pastor, Hispanic Congregation, Primera Iglesia Bautista, Newport News, Va.
Rhonda Kershner, Laity, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Katonah, N.Y.
Amy McClure, Associate Pastor for Children, Senior Adults, and Pastoral Care, First Baptist Church on Fifth, Winston Salem, N.C.
Chris Sanders, Attorney, Ridgewood Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky.
Comité de candidaturas
Chair-Elect – Aimee Hobbs, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Rutherfordton, N.C.
Governing Board Report:
Consejo de Administración
Recorder – Brad Jernberg, Minister of Administration, South Main Baptist Church, Houston, Texas
Comité de candidaturas
Taylor Mason (Filling 1-Year Term), Director of Communications & Graphic Design, CBF of Florida and the Caribbean Islands, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Leigh Anne Armstrong, Chaplain, FBC Auburn, Alabama
Stephen Gray, Associate Pastor, Westwood Baptist Church, Springfield, Va.
Kevin Gardner Sinclair, Pastor, Broadway Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky.
Brittany Stillwell, Associate Pastor, Second Baptist Church, Little Rock Ark.
Noah Angel, Pastor, Familia Christiana Internacional, Jefferson City, Mo.
CBF Foundation Board
James Preston, Lay Leader, First Baptist Church, Jefferson City, Mo.
Consejo de Certificación
Dewey Bland, Corrections Chaplain, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Bryan, Texas
Melody Kidd, VA Chaplain, James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital and Clinics, Pastor, Emmanuel Community Church, Tarpon Springs, Fla.
Elizabeth Denham Thompson, Pastoral Counselor, Eremos Consulting Group, Littleton, Colo.
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Led by the love of Christ, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship invites churches and individuals to partner in transforming God’s world, working together as a global community to spread good news, justice and hope through impactful ministries, missions and resources.