April 19, 2024
DULUTH, Ga. – The fiery preacher who has led the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s state-level evangelism efforts for the past year is moving to the national stage next month.
JJ Washington will start a new job as the North American Mission Board’s national director of personal evangelism on July 18.
“I’ve enjoyed my experience at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board,” Washington said. “I feel like we’ve been able to accomplish a lot in a very short time. I was fortunate to be here with this team at this time. I’m also grateful to have the opportunity to potentially have a national impact.”
Washington followed Levi Skipper in the role of state evangelism catalyst. Skipper, now head of the state Mission Board’s church strengthening team, will continue to give direction and oversight to the Mission Board’s evangelism efforts.
“I am super excited about the opportunity that JJ has to impact all of SBC life,” said Skipper, creator of the Mission Board’s No Sweat Evangelism strategy that’s being used by churches across the state. “They could not have chosen a more capable and faithful leader.”
Washington, a one-time Georgia high school football standout who went on to play for North Carolina State University, has served in a number of ministerial roles over the years, including on the pastoral staff at First Baptist Church in Woodstock and later as pastor of Woodstock Church – Austell.
With master’s and doctoral degrees from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Washington joined the state Mission Board in early 2020, initially serving in the role of missions consultant.
In his new role, Washington will report to Tim Dowdy, NAMB’s executive director of evangelism and leadership.
"JJ Washington is one of the best," Dowdy said. "He has a genuine heart for Jesus and a passion to share the gospel everywhere with everyone. So when the Lord moved me to NAMB to lead in the area of evangelism and we needed a national director of personal evangelism, I knew who I wanted to ask. I’m so grateful to the Lord for all he has used JJ to accomplish in Georgia, and I’m excited to see how He will use him to help Southern Baptists advance the gospel in North America."
Washington considers what he does to be akin to coaching in that his job is to encourage and inspire church leaders to excel in the area of evangelism.
“In my experience, the best coaches are the ones who know how to develop you and also how to position you for success,” he said. “That’s what I have tried to do at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, and that’s what I hope to do at the North American Mission Board.”
