November 8, 2025
ATHENS, Ga.— Dr. Stewart B. Simms Jr., served as pastor of Beech Haven Baptist Church for 31 years before retiring on Oct. 16, 2011. At the time, Simms declared that he would “preach as often as I am able.”
That commitment to proclaiming the Word of God reflects a rich heritage. His lineage can be traced back to some of Southern Baptists’ most prominent leaders, including his father, Dr. Stewart B. Simms, Sr.
Simms remarked, “My dad entered Wake Forest with three possible career tracks: the Metropolitan Opera, becoming an attorney with his father and two brothers, or the ministry. His family pastor, Dr. Forrest Feezor, asked dad to preach his first sermon at Tabernacle in Raleigh. They agreed to ask for a ‘fleece.’ Dad prayed that if God’s call was ministry that someone would be saved when he preached his first sermon. A young Jewish woman was saved. That confirmed the call.”
When he was in high school, the younger Simms was often asked if he would follow in the steps of his father, and his typical answer was, “Not the way I see it now.” However, during his freshman year at Furman University, he attended a revival service in his home church and had the opportunity to spend some time with his father and the evangelist. He recalled, “I took a deep breath and said, ‘Dad, I think God may be calling me into the ministry.’”
The younger Simms prepared for his calling by concluding his work at Furman and enrolling in Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He explained, “I met Dianne Lucas while I was in seminary, we married and have been wed for 54 years. She has two master’s degrees from SWBTS and is a wonderful partner and an incredibly vital part of my ministry. Now also my traveling partner. She has heard the same ‘sugar stick’ sermon over and over without telling people they are repeats.”
Dr. Simms and his wife, Mary Ann, had three children, and all graduated from Southwestern Seminary. Their daughter, Carol Ann, served as the children’s director at Gambrell Street Baptist Church in Fort Worth during the pastorate of Dr. Joel Gregory prior to her marriage. The younger son, Robert Franklin, pastored churches in North Carolina and South Carolina before ending his working career as a municipal court and summary court judge in Greenville, S.C.
Stewart Jr. added, “My mother was a Christian with a valued history of her own. Her father was a math professor for 50 years at Meredith College in Raleigh. N.C. Meredith is a women’s liberal arts college which has historical ties to the North Carolina Baptist Convention.”
Stewart’s father, Dr. Stewart Broadus Simms Sr., graduated from Southwestern and was ordained to the gospel ministry while he was a student. Dr. George W. Truett, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, preached his ordination sermon. On several occasions, Dr. Truett afforded the young preacher the opportunity to declare the gospel to his congregation on Sunday night.
“I also have a picture of my dad, grandfather, my uncle Albert, Dr. Truett, and Dr. J. Clyde Turner that was taken the afternoon of the ordination service,” Stewart Simms Jr. said.
Dr. Turner was a lifelong friend of the Simms family. He graduated from Southern Seminary in 1905 and served two churches in Kentucky before becoming pastor of the Tatnall Square Baptist Church in Macon. However, his most illustrious pastorate was in the First Baptist Church of Greensboro, where he served for 38 years.
The elder Dr. Simms graduated from SWBTS and went forth to serve as pastor of churches in Texas and North Carolina until moving to Richmond, Va., as pastor of Woodland Heights Baptist Church. In 1961, he became pastor of First Baptist Church of Greer, S.C., where he served for 24 years.
Dr. Simms was vice-president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention in 1971, was president in 1972, and was a member of the General Board of that Convention from 1985 to 1989. He also served as parliamentarian for the Convention for numerous years, beginning in 1970.
He became a prominent leader in Southern Baptist life as well and was elected as first vice-president of the Southern Baptist Convention in Norfolk, Va., in 1975. President Jaroy Weber asked him to preside at the most critical business session because he knew of his parliamentary adroitness. He was also a member of the Executive Committee of the Convention from 1967 to 1974, was chairman of that Committee from 1972 to 1974, and initiated the charge to adopt Bold Mission Thrust, a comprehensive plan to evangelize the world.
Stewart B. Simms Sr.’s fraternal grandfather’s first cousin was Dr. John A. Broadus, who was known as a scholar, preacher, and denominational leader. He earned an M.A. degree at the University of Virginia in 1850 and became a tutor in Latin and Greek at his alma mater, and served as pastor of a Baptist Church in Charlottesville, Va.
In 1859, Broadus, along with James P. Boyce and Basil Manly Jr., founded the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Broadus later became a member of the faculty of the seminary when it opened in Greenville, S.C.. For the next 36 years, he was professor of New Testament interpretation and homiletics, and his life was inextricably bound to the school. In 1870, he published On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, a book which has become a classic in its field. In 1888, he became the seminary’s second president.
Both Stewart Broadus Simms, Sr. and Stewart Broadus Simms Jr. are named after John A Broadus.
The great-grandfather of these three children of Stewart and Mary Ann Simms was Dr. A. M. Simms. He was called to be the pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, in 1890. He preceded Rev. C. T. Seasholes, Dr. George W. Truett, and Dr. W. A. Criswell as pastor of one of Southern Baptists’ most prestigious and influential churches.
The pulpit still in use at First Baptist Church of Dallas was first secured by Pastor A. M. Simms and was the centerpiece of the worship center on North Ervay Street. Stewart Simms Jr. once asked Dr. Criswell if he could purchase the sacred desk to keep it in the Simms family. Dr. Criswell responded, “Not likely, my boy.”
A.M. Simms also served First Baptist Church in Charlottesville, Va., and was Lottie Moon’s pastor during that time. His last pastorate was First Baptist Church in Hawkinsville, Ga., when impending blindness began to take its toll.
The history of the Simms family is steeped in Baptist testimonies, sagas, and memories.
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