Meet our Pastors
Rev. Aaron Coyle-Carr (He/Him)
Senior Pastor
Aaron joined the staff at First Baptist as senior pastor in June of 2021. He has served churches in North Carolina and Texas, and also completed a two-year stint as a stay-at-home dad. Professionally, his passions include ecumenical and interfaith cooperation, robust and thoughtful patterns of Christian worship, and in-depth, contextually sensitive Bible study.
Aaron has a B.A. in Religion and Classics from Samford University, and an M.Div. from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He is married to Leanna, a minister, mother, and environmentalist; together they have one daughter, Henlee, who sometimes gleefully corrects his sermons from the front pew.
Aaron is a confessed nerd and can usually be found reading comic books or playing Dungeons and Dragons in his spare time. He also enjoys family hikes and splashing around in Cave Run Lake.
Jackson Campbell-Walker (He/Him)
Associate Pastor
Jackson has served as the Associate Pastor at The First Baptist Church of Morehead since February 2024. A native of Mount Sterling, Kentucky, he earned his undergraduate degree from Transylvania University and is currently pursuing advanced theological education at Central Baptist Theological Seminary. Prior to his ministry at FBC, Jackson served congregations in Louisville, Frankfort, and Little Rock, Arkansas.
Deeply rooted in his hometown region, Jackson is passionate about ministering alongside the people of Eastern Kentucky, leading faithful worship of the living God, and proclaiming the good news of the Gospel. Throughout his ministry, he has sought to foster a more just and generous expression of Christian faith. As the first openly gay Baptist pastor in Eastern Kentucky, Jackson is a dedicated advocate for equity, inclusion, and justice both locally and globally.
Outside of ministry, Jackson and his partner, Micah, love being together at home and spending time with their two dogs, Earl Alexander and Augustus “Gus” Fitzgerald.
Meet our Staff
We are all the church, and we all bring our gifts and talents to bear on our common life together, and there are some among us whose particular gifts are called out in full-time or vocational service to and for the congregation. Our dedicated church staff ensure that the day-to-day operations of FBC Morehead run smoothly in order to equip and empower the congregation for its vital work in our community.
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Rhelda and her family have been members of First Baptist since 1993. She raised her children here and now enjoys a semi-retirement that mainly involves attempting to keep up with her grandchildren.
After retiring from the Morehead Utility Plant Board in 2013, Rhelda agreed to join the FBC staff as our bookkeeper, and she works closely with ministers and committees to keep track of the financial health of the congregation.
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Until very recently, Greg actually conducted two choirs, ours and Morehead State University’s!
During his more than thirty years as Director of Choral Activities at MSU Greg conducted the Chamber Singers and Concert Choir and taught conducting and voice. His choirs have toured and presented concerts in Austria, Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica, and Canada; and have appeared at regional and state conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and the Music Educators National Conference. Even in retirement he remains In demand as a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator, he has presented workshops in choral technique across the U.S. and Canada.
Greg is married to our accompanist, Tania Detweiler.
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Bio coming soon.
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Adrian’s FBC journey began during high school when he visited the church as a member of the Governor’s Scholars Program at MSU.
A public defender by day, Adrian is passionate about making music and also sings in our sanctuary choir. He lovingly tends our aging organ and has been known to make quick repairs in the middle of a worship service.
You can also find Adrian on a tennis court or relaxing at home with his cat Persephone.
Rachel Roar
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Risa Boyd joins First Baptist Church of Morehead as our incoming Nursery staff member! Risa is a mother of two, serves as the Executive Assistant to the Provost at Morehead State University, and is a longtime member of the Christian faith.
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Tania came to Morehead from Ecuador as a piano student at MSU and we have been so blessed to watch her grow and flourish as a musician. Most Sundays she can be found playing the piano during the prelude, hymns, and choral performances, but she’s no slouch on the organ, either!
Tania also teaches private music lessons and often invites her students to perform at church. She is married to choral director Greg Detweiler.
Meet our Deacons
As Baptists, we believe that everyone is called to Christ’s service and that church leadership is a shared, democratic endeavor. To that end, the church regularly chooses members of the congregation to serve as deacons. These deacons (twelve total) model the way of Jesus for all of us as they serve food, visit the sick, support church staff, aid congregational decision-making, and generally make the world a better place.
July ‘25-July ‘26 chair: Patti Wood
2026 - 2029 Class
2025 - 2028 Class
Carol Neeper
Layne Neeper
Cayson Stamper
Bill Shely
Drew Henderson
Liz Cantrell-Stamper
2024 - 2027 Class
Liz Bowman
Angie Fultz
Miranda Mayes
Patti L Wood
Reagan Hatton
Meet the committees.
Remember what we said about democratic leadership? We meant it! No one person, not even the senior pastor, makes decisions for the congregation as a whole.
Instead, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we elect church members to serve on various committees dedicated to specific tasks or ministry areas of the church.
These committees work together to make recommendations to the congregation, who then discern and vote together on important matters of church life at regular business meetings.
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Missions & Outreach
Chair: Melody Graham
The Missions and Outreach Committee works to involve our congregation in seeking the common good of Morehead and connects to the resources and projects of both CBF and CBF Kentucky.
See more about FBC on mission under What We Do. —>
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Stewardship
Chair: Janet Ratliff
Our committee oversees the financial processes of FBC, provides direction to leaders of programs and committees concerning finances, and sets policies for the management of church funds.
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Administrative Working Group
Chair: Adrian Jacob
The Administrative Work Group (AWG) helps the church to be more effective in planning programs, coordinating activities, and managing resources. AWG seeks to identify strengths and talents of individuals for nomination to the appropriate administrative and ministry work groups. It keeps the record of the membership of all committees and recommends appropriate replacements when vacancies occur in those committees as well as in the positions of trustee, moderator, clerk, and treasurer. AWG also updates the constitution, bylaws, and operations manual and presents updates to the church for adoption. We strive to use the talents and strengths of each and every one of our church members in the best way possible to represent the Holy Spirit’s workings in all of us.
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Human Resources
Chair: Robin Simpson
The Human Resources Committee works to meet the staffing needs for the church. We have assisted in the development human resource policies for the operations manual and developed the Sexual Misconduct Policy for the church. We conduct annual performance reviews with staff and assist with onboarding new employees.
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Christian Education for Children and Youth
Chair: Martha Perkins
This committee works with the Associate Pastor to oversee children’s programs and assure children’s safety from nursery through youth group ages.
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Hospitality
Chair: Martha Perkins
The hospitality committee organizes church potlucks and other special social events. (There are more of us, but we were too busy hosting to get a photo together!)
