October 1, 2026
Paul McCommon II came to the Georgia Baptist Convention in 1951 as its first music secretary and became one of the pioneers of Southern Baptist church music. Three years later, in 1954, he founded the Sons of Jubal, a ministry he would conduct from its inception until his retirement from the convention in 1985.
That same year, 1954, his son, Paul McCommon III, was born. Seventy years later, the younger McCommon is helping lead the ministry that grew from his father’s vision.
After what might be called a 53-year sabbatical, McCommon returned in 2022 to play trumpet with the Jubal Brass and Orchestra. He had first been “drafted” at age 15 as a founding member of the Jubal Brass, an ensemble created to accompany the Sons of Jubal on their first international mission trip to South America during the “Crusade of the Americas” in 1969.
In the years between, McCommon received multiple degrees from Baylor University, including a Doctor of Jurisprudence from its law school in 1979, and spent most of his career as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice and an assistant U.S. attorney in Macon.
“I was a lawyer, and for most of my career, an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice and an assistant U.S. attorney in Macon for 34 years,” he said.
He retired in 2021.
The family connection did not end with father and son. During his long Jubal sabbatical, McCommon married his wife, Debbie, and they raised three children. Debbie, a retired educator, sings with the Jubalheirs.
McCommon’s sister, Erin Barnett, who lives in Kennesaw, also is a member of the Jubalheirs and plays cello in the orchestra. She served as president of the Jubalheirs before serving as secretary of Jubal Ministries for five years. She gave up that position this past spring.
So, one might think Jubal Ministries is a family affair for the McCommons. That is correct.
Paul McCommon II, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, had served as a pastor before accepting his role with the GBC. He was only the second person in the Southern Baptist Convention to serve in the newly created role of state music secretary. He also served as the first president of the SBC Church Music Conference and helped develop, from the ground up, age-graded music workshops and festivals during his more than 30-year ministry with Georgia Baptists.
He is remembered not only for his musical abilities but, more importantly, for the spiritual depth he brought to the work of church music and worship in Georgia.
The ministry Paul McCommon II helped begin has continued to grow. Jubal Ministries Inc. was formed five years ago to manage and oversee the expanded ministries that developed from that founding vision. Those ministries now include the Sons of Jubal, Jubalheirs, Jubal Chorus, Jubal Brass, Jubal Orchestra, Jubal Tones, handbells, and mission efforts in Georgia and beyond.
The mission arm of Jubal Ministries includes international concerts and local mission projects in communities where concerts are scheduled. Each year, the Jubalheirs adopt a larger mission project. This year, that project was in the Savannah area.
Following an international mission trip to Cuba last fall, the most recent mission partnership of Jubal Ministries was formed with Cuban Baptists. The partnership is facilitated through Send Relief, the International Mission Board, and the Georgia Baptist Foundation. This ministry includes providing food and medical supplies that are distributed through Cuban Baptist churches and associations.
This year, Jubal Ministries has set a goal of $180,000 to help accomplish that task.
As he steps into leadership, McCommon said the challenge is to seek God’s vision for the next season of Jubal Ministries.
“It’s grown, the Lord has blessed it, and the Lord continues to bless,” he said. “The challenge going forward will be to continue to ask the Lord to give us a vision, to pray for His guidance, and to continue to grow the ministry to proclaim the gospel.”
Jubal Ministries remains a family affair and a labor of love for the McCommons, as it was for their father before them. Behind the concerts, mission projects, and worship gatherings are hard work, patience, and prayer. For the foreseeable future, the ministry appears to be in good hands, still asking the Lord for vision and still seeking to proclaim the gospel.
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For more information on Jubal Ministries check the website at https://jubalministries.org/
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