October 1, 2026
JONESBORO, Ga. — Jonesboro’s First Baptist Church, under the leadership of Pastor Mel Blackaby, is striving to make a difference for God's eternal Kingdom in Jonesboro, Clayton County, the nation, and the world. The community has gone through a demographic shift in the 18 years Blackaby has been the pastor, and the church beautifully reflects that shift, with 6 language congregations sharing the gospel in 7 different languages. The church is actively planting churches nationally and internationally; and sending approximately 200 to 300 volunteer mission teams each year to multiple nations on practically every continent.
Blackaby earned his M.Div and Ph.D from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He coauthored with his father, Henry Blackaby, the Gold Medallion-winners Experiencing God Together and A God-Centered Church. He travels extensively as a conference speaker, but his first love is the pastorate. Prior to accepting the call to the Jonesboro church, he was pastor of Bow Valley Baptist Church in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. He and his wife, Gina, have three adult children and two grandchildren.
Blackaby is a man of prayer who is leading the church he serves to be committed to the Lord’s admonition to “continue earnestly in prayer” (Colossians 4:2). “It is not easy to establish prayer as the priority in a large church because there are so many activities that vie for attention," he said. "Then there is Satan, who certainly knows the power of prayer and wants to remove it from the church. So, my desire is to have the total ministry of the church undergirded in prayer.
“We have a designated time for prayer in our morning worship service when we give the congregants the opportunity to gather in small groups to pray. Some come to the altar to make their intercessions known to God, and some feel more comfortable praying alone, but the prayer time is a strategic and invaluable part of our worship service.
“No one has ever indicated that this unique time of prayer makes them feel uncomfortable, and the church family has frequently expressed how much they like that part of our worship. The sound of the people praying is like the sound of “a mighty rushing wind” (Acts 2:2).
Blackaby continued, “We have many different activities and ministries taking place on our campus on Wednesday evening, but everything shuts down at 6:00 o’clock for our designated thirty-minute prayer time."
In addition to all the above, the church has created a “House of Prayer.” To make this become a reality, the church has renovated the oldest brick home in Jonesboro, built in the 1850s, into their “House of Prayer.” This building is situated in the middle of the church campus and represents the heart and focus of the church.
When the church began the renovation of the house, lead paint covered the bricks, and the building was in disarray. The paint was removed and the large beams that supported the structure were repositioned to capture the beauty of the building, providing the people with the opportunity to see the original brickwork and woodwork of the home from its distinguished appearance from pre-Civil War days.
Blackaby commented, “The painstaking labor and tedious work of the reconstruction of this home reminds me of what God can see in us, and He has a way of taking everything we do for His Kingdom and using it for His glory. The seemingly unseen acts of service are beautiful in God’s eyes. In a similar fashion, I pray that God will take our lives and our service and use them for His glory.”’
The purpose of the “House of Prayer” is highlighted in the beautiful stained-glass windows. In the room to the right of the entrance, there are stained-glass windows that were secured by Blackaby from a Catholic church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Each one of the windows highlights Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:35-40, where He admonishes us to feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, welcome the stranger, and provide clothing wherever it is needed.
In the room to the left of the front door, there is a stunningly crafted map of the world with pins dotting the map where First Baptist has mission work taking place. In this room, Blackaby has designed stained glass windows depicting the message of the Great Commission: one window illustrating “Go”, another representing “Making Disciples”, yet another one emphasizing “Baptism”, and the final one focusing on “Teaching”.
Each room is uniquely designed in a God-honoring fashion and inspires prayer in the noblest and most inviting way conceivable.
Blackaby emphasized his passion for prayer. “The reason prayer changes things is because when you pray, you are talking to the omnipotent God of the universe. The Bible explains that a sovereign God has chosen to work through the prayers of His people. Prayer brings the divine into an earthly reality.”
“Prayer allows us to experience miracles otherwise unknown. Prayer brings unlimited power to bear upon our lives.”
And quoting Oswald Chambers, Blackaby explained, “Prayer is not an exercise; it is the very life of the saints. Beware anything that stops the offering up of prayer.”
Share with others
