October 2, 2026
DULUTH, Ga. – One Sunday morning about three months ago, Greg Teffertiller encountered George, a homeless man who was living in his car at a fast-food restaurant. He was asking for money to buy food and gasoline.
Greg explained, “It was an inconvenient time and place for me because I was in a hurry headed for church. I had a choice to make, ‘Was I going to be Jesus or Greg to that homeless man?’ I decided I would help him; and I gave him what he requested. I then invited him to follow me to our church.”
George accepted Greg’s invitation to church. Not only that, but two weeks later the homeless man trusted Christ as his Savior.
Teffertiller continued, “George has a lot of baggage and some real health issues. In fact, I have been in the hospital with him multiple times in the few months I have known him, trying to serve him and meet his needs. This experience has had an impact upon our whole family. Our youngest son, Justin, has gone to the restaurant several times to try to connect with George.
"This is the story of a broken man. But in meeting George I came to realize that not only did George need Jesus, but that I also need Him every day. This experience has taught me to understand who my neighbor really is, something about the compassion of Jesus, and how we are to be the hands and feet of our Savior.”
It is good for Georgia Baptists to know that a man like Greg Teffertiller, who recently served as the first marketing director for Send Relief at the North American Mission Board, has come onboard as the Events and Marketing Lead Strategist for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
Thomas Hammond, executive director of the GBMB, testified, “Greg Teffertiller is a spiritual man with a passionate heart for the local church. His focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ; and he is grounded in the Word of God. He also has a deep desire to see the Kingdom of God grow.
“Greg is a strategic thinker and will be a welcome addition to our team of missionaries to Georgia Baptists. He is a focused, relational, and surrendered servant of our Savior.”
Teffertiller, a native of Herrin, Ill., came to the Atlanta metro area in 2001. He said, “I am thankful that I was born into a home with loving parents, but the faith of my childhood was very legalistic and rules driven.
“I did not fully understand the doctrine of grace until it was shared with me at age 14 while attending summer church camp. On August 5, 1987, I surrendered my life to Christ. It was a life-changing time that I vividly remember, and I am thankful that the Lord called me out of death to life in Christ!”
After high school, Greg went to Murray State University in Kentucky, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in advertising with a minor in youth agency administration (non-profit organizational management).
In the summer of 1994, while still at Murray State, Greg became a counsellor at YMCA Camp Lakewood in Potosi, Mo. He explained, “I was not supposed to be at the camp, but due to a youth ministry internship falling through at the last minute, and my need to fulfill an obligation to complete the youth agency administration portion of my degree, I agreed to be a camp counsellor. It was a serendipitous blessing because that is when I met Sarah.
“After spending the summer together in the dating incubator and continuing our relationship long-distance while finishing school, we were engaged in November 1994 on a boat dock where we first met.” Greg and Sarah have been married since 1995, and they have two sons, Logan and Justin, and a daughter, Rebekah.
When Teffertiller’s successful marketing career brought him to the Atlanta area in 2001, he and his family became a part of First Baptist Church (Church on Main) in Snellville. He recalled, “In the fall of 2003, while actively serving in a lay leadership role at First Baptist, the Lord was working in my heart and leading to me to ask questions about my career and my calling.
“I felt that I needed to open my heart and life to whatever the Lord wanted to do. Through some pastoral consultation and discussion with my wife, we began to prepare for the unknown. In 2005 the church ordained me and called me to serve as the Assistant Pastor to Young Adults.”
In addition to working overtime to get into his new role at the GBMB, Greg and Sarah have a flurry of activity going on in their home. He reported, “It is blessed bedlam now. Justin (17) is involved in theater, and his Spring musical is coming up where has a leading role. Rebekah (22) is engaged to be married in October, so there are lots of details to work out. Logan (25) is planning to move from his apartment in Atlanta soon, and I know he’ll be asking for help. Phoebe, our corgi, is the easy one to manage right now.”
Teffertiller has expressed his desire to help the Georgia Baptist Mission Board to partner with pastors to do more than we can do individually. He stated, “As a collaborative partner with our leaders, it is my hope that we can deliver even more value, provide stronger events, create environments for networking and connections, and share the incredible stories of the impact Georgia Baptist churches are making throughout the state.
“In addition, our team is navigating the impact of our culture’s adoption of new technology and its impact on our churches and communities. As we all know, COVID-19 rattled our churches, forcing many of them to adopt technologies and strategies that they might not have ever dreamt of implementing. With the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), we are embarking on new territory, and we will continue to learn and share the impact and implications of these tools.”
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