By Sharon Mager
GREENSBORO, Md. — Greensboro Baptist Church in Maryland recently called Kevin Randolph as senior pastor. The church had a dinner following the service on July 21 to thank Intentional Interim Pastor Gary Glanville and his wife Debbie, and to welcome Kevin, his wife Terri, and their family.
Kevin grew up in a Christian home in West Virginia and attended church from the time he was an infant. He gave
his life to Jesus when he was in second grade at a Vacation Bible School. “God blessed me with a Christian heritage from my grandparents on both sides as Christ-followers and from my parents who guided me in the right way,” he said.
His family moved to Tennessee during Kevin’s first year in college, and he went on to attend Pensacola Christian College in Florida while serving part-time as a youth pastor. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in Youth Ministry in 1990 and a master’s degree in Bible Exposition in 1993.
Kevin served as a youth pastor for 18 years in independent Baptist Churches and then as a lead pastor for ten years. He and his family moved to Lynchburg, Virginia, in 2009, where he taught in a Christian school for two years.
Kevin then accepted a position in a Southern Baptist Church as an associate pastor in 2011, where he stayed until 2016. He then began ministering part-time at another Southern Baptist Church while teaching at a Christian school.
Randolph said that while there are some differences in Independent and Southern Baptist churches, their doctrine is basically the same. Referring to the Cooperative Program, Randolph said he especially appreciates the Southern Baptist Convention’s unique approach to providing funds for missionaries and missions.
In 2018, the couple felt God’s call back to full-time ministry, and they prayed for direction.
At the time, Kevin was one of four pastors at the church where he was serving part-time. The lead pastor was considering retirement and in February 2019, he asked Kevin to pray about stepping into that role, but it was not to be. “God would not give us peace about that position, so we turned it down,” Kevin said. In April 2019, following God’s leading, Kevin resigned and left the church.
“That was a tough thing because it meant that I would not be on staff with a church now and I am 50 years old…how difficult is it going to be for a church to consider me? But God gave that deep peace that only He can give as we began the journey of seeking His will for us.” All the pieces began to come together very quickly. “We resigned on April 14. I had sent out a few resumes but hadn’t heard back. While I was browsing the Southern Baptist Convention website in early May, I came across Greensboro Baptist Church’s advertisement. I took some time to look at the church’s website, listen to a few of Pastor Gary Glanville’s messages, and study the demographics for Greensboro and the surrounding areas. Greensboro is like the town I grew up in —there are two stoplights. The town I grew up in has one,” he laughed. “But there are a lot of cities around the area and many opportunities for outreach and ministry.”
Both Kevin and Terri, and GBC’s pastor search team were interested, but there was a previous candidate scheduled to interview. Providentially, that candidate decided to step back from the interview, and the team reached out to Kevin. “It was like we’d known each other for a long time. Our mindsets are focused on reaching this area for Christ; the experiences seemed to fit what we were all looking for,” Kevin said in reference to his interview.
He arrived in Maryland on the weekend of June 9 to preach, and the church voted to call him on June 12. He and Terri are still blown away by how God moved so fast. The time between the original contact in May and the church’s vote was a little over 4 weeks.
Upon seeing the church facilities, Kevin was really excited. The auditorium can accommodate growth and the family life center yields itself to many types of outreach. Referencing Nehemiah 6:16, Kevin said, “This is a work wrought by the hand of God. I look at this place and think — this is definitely something God did and so we want to be faithful to utilize these facilities to reach people with the Gospel.”
Looking ahead, Kevin wants to increase the number of small groups and to develop each existing area of ministry, as well as adding a mid-week children’s ministry. He also wants to reach parents by offering series on relevant topics such as marriage and finance. He is planning to reach out to local schools and increase the church’s involvement in the community. As a former basketball and baseball coach, Kevin also sees the potential of utilizing the facilities for sports camps and recreational outreach in the future.
There are already some effective outreaches established that Kevin wants to continue and grow. More than 60 people, many from outside the church, participate in the JOY senior ministry. Also, the annual “Trunk or Treat” in October draws hundreds of local children.
“The people of GBC have a servants’ hearts. It will be fun to see what God does,” he said.
Kevin and Terri celebrated their 30th anniversary on July 29. Terri has a passion for women’s ministry, enjoys music, and is looking forward to getting involved with the ministries at GBC. Their oldest son, Alex, serves as the student pastor at Liberty Baptist Church Harbour View, in Suffolk, Virginia. Austin attended Liberty University and is now pursuing church ministry in worship and community outreach. He will be serving in these two areas to help his dad. Adam is a freshman at Lancaster Bible College, pursuing a degree in sports management. He will also be playing baseball for LBC.
Kevin gives much credit to Gary Glanville. “To have a godly man like Pastor Gary to help the church and to create the type of environment I walked into has been amazing. He did a lot of preparatory work that you can’t put a value on.” As the Randolphs begin their ministry at GBC, the Glanvilles will support them through regular meetings.
Cover Photo – (from left to right) Alex, Kevin, Austin, Terri and Adam