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On May 18th, 2025, our church unanimously called Will Browning to be the next Lead Pastor of Magnolia Church!
We're incredibly excited for Will and Tarah to join our church family at the beginning of July. Keep reading to learn more about Will and his family.
Will grew up in a small town, playing sports and working on his father’s farm. After graduating from Georgia Southern University, he gained three treasures: a degree, a newfound faith in Jesus, and a love for Tarah. The farm boy and the big-city girl from Miami moved to Atlanta, where Will initially felt called to be a Christian businessman. But during a worship service in Alpharetta, God revealed His bigger plan: “I want you to spend the rest of your life seeing your generation come to worship me.”
Will went on to earn his Masters of Divinity, planted Journey Church in Summerville, SC, and grew it from his home to 950 worshipers in multiple locations, with 9 autonomous church plants. He also earned a Doctorate in Ministry in Great Commission Studies. In 2021, God called Will and Tarah to Los Angeles, where Will serves as the Director of Send California and the Los Angeles Send City Missionary for the North American Mission Board. Since Will came to California in 2021, 127 churches have been planted through Send California!
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Tarah is very involved in ministry as well. She's an accomplished worship leader, formally trained music teacher, event planner, and serves today with the California Southern Baptist Convention as their Specialist for Church Planters' Wives Care. Will and Tarah have also led dozens of marriage conferences together.
Will and Tarah have been married for 25 years and have three children, two of whom were adopted from Ukraine. Their daughter, Piper, is a nurse and getting married in June to Phil. Their son, Ethan is a retired Marine and now works as a general contractor. Ethan and his wife, Audrie, have given Will and Tarah their first grandbabies, Gabriel and Beau! Their youngest son, Jed, is a student at California Baptist University studying accounting.
God is at work doing exciting things at Magnolia Church. Over 50 people have been baptized on average each year the past several years. Last year, we saw nearly 2,200 gospel conversations and we are seeking to have 2,500 gospel conversations by the end of this year. New people come to Magnolia Church every single Sunday and we have seen our attendance steadily growing in this season. When God is at work, it’s our aim to join Him in what He is doing. In this season, we have found God is moving us into a time of transition.
Nomination and Election of Search Team
The officers of our Trustees, Deacons, and Personnel Committee nominated a Lead Pastor Search Team. The team consists of seven members and one alternate. This team was presented to the church and elected by the church membership in a special called business meeting, which was held on Sunday, October 27th.
Lead Pastor Search Team
The Lead Pastor Search Team, consisting of Gaye Hawkins, Ted Hosmer, Terry Lowe, Stacy McIntyre, Jennifer Palmer, David Schiessel, Janette Taylor, and Mike Wyant, began their work in the Fall of 2024. Their work involved developing a candidate profile, interviewing and vetting potential candidates, and seeking God’s man to present to the congregation.
Calling of New Lead Pastor
On Sunday, April 6th, 2025, the Lead Pastor Search Team announced Will Browning as their recommendation to the church to serve as our next Lead Pastor. Will preached on Sunday, May 18th and we held a special called business meeting that evening where our congregation voted to unanimously call Will as our Lead Pastor!
Transition to New Lead Pastor
Pastor Will's first Sunday as Lead Pastor will be July 6th and he will begin preaching on July 13th. We will have a two-month overlap period with Pastor Montia and Pastor Will serving alongside each other. Pastor Montia plans to retire at the end of the summer.