Pastors and Directors
Jim Perdue
Pastor
Jim has had the privilege of serving as the Senior Pastor of Second Baptist Church since 2012. He loves to preach, watch football, hang out with his family, and lead people into a deeper relationship with Jesus. His passion is to lead the church to impact our neighbors and the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Gary Morton
Executive and Senior Adult Pastor
Gary joined the staff of Second Baptist Church on June 1, 1988. For 30 years Gary served as Second’s Worship Pastor, and has also Served as Executive Pastor since 1993. Gary loves family time and God’s great outdoors. He and his wife Jan have two grown sons and five grandchildren.
You can contact Gary by email at garym@sbcwr.org.
You can contact Gary by email at garym@sbcwr.org.
Jimmy Moneypenny
Second Kids Pastor
Jimmy attended Mercer University on a baseball scholarship and graduated with a B.A. in Secondary History Education. A former educator and coach, Jimmy joined the staff at Second in 2001 as the Minister of Education and later transitioned to Recreation Pastor in 2008. In 2023, he stepped into the role of Kids Pastor. He loves global missions, fishing and his family. Jimmy and his wife Joy have two daughters and three grandkids.
You can contact Jimmy by e-mail at jimmym@sbcwr.org.
You can contact Jimmy by e-mail at jimmym@sbcwr.org.
Matthew Gibbs
Adult Education
and Evangelism Pastor
and Evangelism Pastor
Matthew is passionate about teaching and sharing the principles of the Gospel to others. Before coming to Second, he served for five years as Minister of Education and Senior Adults at Calvary Baptist Church in Greenwood, Indiana. Matthew is married to Kathy and they have three children: Mary Beth, Daniel, and Aaron.
You can contact Matthew by e-mail at matthewg@sbcwr.org.
You can contact Matthew by e-mail at matthewg@sbcwr.org.
Justin McLaughlin
Worship Pastor
Justin serves as the Worship Pastor and joined the Second Baptist family in 2021. Justin is originally from Iowa and has served in full-time worship ministry since 2005. Before joining Second Baptist, Justin served in churches throughout the state of Florida. Justin also serves on the Steering Committee/Ministry Team for the Experience Conference at Walt Disney World. Justin married his wife, Silvana, in January of 2023.
You can contact Justin by e-mail at justinm@sbcwr.org.
You can contact Justin by e-mail at justinm@sbcwr.org.
Wes Tanner
Second Students Pastor
Wes wants to see young people come to know and accept Christ as their Savior and the Lord of their lives. While working in education for over 10 years, he developed a passion for students to discipled by the local church. Wes began full-time, vocational ministry in 2018, and since then, he has become passionate about the next generation becoming biblically literate and a light. He and his wife, Mandi, have 3 sons–Harper, Hutson, and Harrison.
You can contact Wes by e-mail at west@sbcwr.org.
You can contact Wes by e-mail at west@sbcwr.org.
Debbie Vartenisian
Second Kids Director
Debbie loves working with kids and sharing the love of Christ. She joined the Second Baptist staff as the Director of Children’s Ministries for eight years before moving to Saudi Arabia. After moving back in 2015, Debbie served as the Director of First Impressions until transitioning back to the Children’s Ministry Director in 2020. Debbie has three daughters–Kristina, Brooke, and Michaela.
You can contact Debbie by e-mail at debbiev@sbcwr.org.
You can contact Debbie by e-mail at debbiev@sbcwr.org.
Hannah Kennedy
Communication and First Impressions Director
Hannah joined staff at Second in December of 2020. She met her husband, Cam, at Liberty University, where she received her B.S. and M.A. Strategic Communication with an emphasis in non-profit development. Cam and Hannah were married in 2019, and both served on staff at Bellevue Baptist Church until God called them to Second.
You can contact Hannah by e-mail at hannahk@sbcwr.org.
You can contact Hannah by e-mail at hannahk@sbcwr.org.
Austin Luce
Technology and Production Director
Austin and his family moved to Australia as missionaries when he was 8 years old. They served there for 12 years. Growing up, Austin was very involved in production at his church and school. He has multiple certificates in Information Technology. Austin met his wife, Faith in 2019 and they married in June of 2022. He has a passion and love for the technology ministry in the church and providing an excellent experience when worshiping online.
You can contact Austin by email at austinl@sbcwr.org.
You can contact Austin by email at austinl@sbcwr.org.
Jesse Ramirez
Victory Sports Director
Jesse is originally from Los Angeles, California, and moved to Warner Robins when he was 21 years old. He joined the staff as Director of Sports and Fitness in 2015 and served our Second Family for two years. In 2023, God called Jesse and his family back to Warner Robins after working in the Coast Guard for 6 years. He is married to Genesis who is from Guadalajara, Mexico. Together, they love raising their two fun and energetic boys, Mateo and Santiago.
You can contact Jesse by email at jesser@sbcwr.org.
You can contact Jesse by email at jesser@sbcwr.org.
David Shepherd
Victory Sports Associate Director
David is originally from Warner Robins and has been a life-long member of Second Baptist Church. He taught and coached in the Houston County School System for almost 30 years. He started serving in Upward over two decades ago. In June of 2023, he assumed the role as the Victory Sports Associate Director. He has a passion for all to discover their God-given gifts and abilities to use for God’s glory. He has been married to Lynette since 1996, and they have four daughters.
You can contact David by email at davids@sbcwr.org.
You can contact David by email at davids@sbcwr.org.