October 2, 2026
NEVILS, Ga. — Joe Eason and his ministry at Trinity Baptist Church in Nevils, Ga., can be described in three words: consistency, steadfastness, and faithfulness. Eason is the church’s founding pastor, and on Nov. 2, the church celebrated its golden jubilee (one-half century) of ministry as well as its pastor’s 50-year anniversary.
Eason preached his first sermon at Gum Branch Baptist Church in Hinesville when he was 14 years old. He recalled, “It was the fulfillment of a lifelong desire. From my earliest days, I wanted to be a pastor. My pastors, W. C. Hiers, L. A. Savage, and Thomas Barnard inspired me as a child, and I wanted to be like them. My dad and mom were my greatest encouragers. They supported our pastors, and that made me want to preach the gospel even more.”
When Eason was a teenager, Gum Branch Church had its annual youth week, and Pastor Barnard asked him to preach his first sermon. He explained, “My text was John 6:66-69, and the sermon title was 'To Whom Shall We Go.' The sermon lasted only 15 minutes, but I emphasized that there is no one to turn to for the solution to our problems, to the answer for our most important questions, or for the salvation of our souls except Jesus.”
After that sermon, God began to open doors of opportunity for Eason to fill the pulpits of the churches of the New Sunbury Association and preach in youth revivals in the surrounding areas.
Eason added, “My high school music teacher, Archie McAfee, put together a gospel quartet of students. The quartet and I would sing, and then I would preach. The quartet was given a music scholarship to Brewton-Parker College as the college quartet in the BPC choir, and I had the privilege of becoming the chaplain for the choir.”
According to Bob Green, retired pastor and state missionary, Trinity Church started in a fertilizer building in the middle of nowhere with 12 people. However, on their first Sunday in the fertilizer building, 39 people joined the fledgling church. Soon thereafter, the new congregation called Eason to be their pastor, and six months later, they moved into their first building.
One of the keys to Eason’s success at Trinity is his concerted effort to engage every member in some kind of ministry. He stated, “Almost 30 years ago, we eliminated our committees and established a lay ministry pattern for our church. Our leadership attended several John Maxwell conferences and followed his design for the utilization of the laity, and we developed 25 lay ministries. The lay leaders were chosen by the pastoral leadership, and each lay leader developed his own ministry team.”
Eason continued, “We established the lay ministry as our model of organization because we discovered that committees find problems and ministries solve problems. Not all members participated, but a majority did, and that has worked extremely well for our discipleship, service, outreach, and growth. I must give credit to all those who have faithfully enlisted participants, developed their gifts, and used them for Kingdom service.
Trinity’s lay ministry includes all the age group departments from children to senior adults, as well as music, drama, visitation, encouragement, usher/greeters, security, social, etc. Eason emphasized that his organizational structure made it possible for Trinity to operate for many years without a large staff. Currently, the church has staff members in most of these areas of ministry. However, the lay ministry still serves the church in significant ways.
Eason has always taken his responsibility as a preacher of the gospel seriously. He commented, “My goal when I preach is to always end up at the cross. I believe an invitation to accept Christ, to surrender one’s life anew to Christ, to become a part of the fellowship of a local church must be given every time I preach.
“I focus on preaching expository sermons, but there are times when I preach sermons for special days like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Memorial Day; and I preach through books of the Bible on Wednesday nights. There is an occasional temptation to go back through the files and freshen up an old sermon from years gone by, but I then remind myself that I need to study, pray, and seek a new word from the Lord for Sunday’s sermon.
“I recently preached two sermons on Mark 12:29-31 on the Greatest Commandment. I think those verses are what I would like to be remembered for regarding my preaching. I hope people who know me best would say, 'He loved the Lord God with all his being. He loved the church; and he loved the lost!' Our church’s motto is ‘A voice for God, a heart for people.’ That is what I would like to be remembered for.”
The Easons have not been without a season of trials in their lives. Amid a very successful ministry and while at a Sunday School event, they received news that their daughter Mollye, age 32, had drowned. She had returned from Hawaii, where she had been employed by the Marriott Corporation for three years, but had returned home to establish her life near her family.
Eason lamented, “We were heartbroken, but our church family ministered to us with love and every conceivable provision. Mollye had no life insurance at the time of her death, but when I went to the funeral home to pay for the cost of their services, the director told me, ‘You don’t owe anything! It has all been paid for by the people of your church.’ That is just an example of their love and care for us.”
During Eason’s years of service at Trinity, there have been some significant milestones suah as the day they moved into their first permanent building, and the day they marched triumphantly from their original building to their new sanctuary.
However, the most thrilling day, according to Eason, was the recent celebration of the 50th anniversary of the church. He declared, “It thrills me when I realize that God has allowed Nancy and me to experience all these years with one church and witness the things that the Lord has done. We have raised our family here and seen each one of them, along with our grandchildren, become involved in the Lord’s work.
“I want to give credit to my wife, Nancy. She has given so much and served so faithfully all these years. The pastor's wife is often forgotten, but I can tell you the pastor cannot do it without a loving, serving, encouraging, and faithful partner. My Nancy is the best thing next to Jesus, who made it possible for me to be the pastor of Trinity all these years! And my ministry is her ministry as well.
“Our daughter, Liz, and her family attend New Hope Baptist Church in Senoia, where she works in the day school. Liz's husband, Barry, teaches Youth Sunday School. Joseph, our son, is the Public Relations Minister for Trinity. All my grandchildren are involved in Church work in various churches throughout Georgia
“We often hear about pastors and their sacrifices and what they did and didn't do! First, let me say, I haven't sacrificed anything. I have gained everything by serving the Lord these years.”
Share with others
