KURT COPELAND

Kurt Copeland is the youngest of four boys born in Pekin, Illinois to wonderful parents.  The Copeland family owned and operated the Rhythm-n-Roll Skate Center in Mattoon, Illinois for nearly 10 years.  It was during those years that Norm Amstutz, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Mattoon stopped by the rink to invite the four Copeland boys to ride the church van and attend church.  On January 11, 1982, as a 10-year-old boy, Kurt walked the aisle to trust Christ as his personal Saviour.  In 1985, God moved the Copeland family to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and they began attending Franklin Road Baptist Church and Franklin Road Christian School.  During the summers, all four boys worked at the Bill Rice Ranch Christian camp ministry as ranch hands.  During the summer of 1987, after a stirring message from Evangelist Ron Reilly, Kurt walked the aisle again to surrender to whatever God would ask him to do with his life. The following year during the church mission’s conference, Kurt surrendered to preach the Gospel.  During his junior and senior years of high school, under the direction of Dr. Bob Kelley, Kurt was able to get valuable experience preaching and teaching in the ministries of FRBC.   Kurt attended Pensacola Christian College in the fall of 1989 and graduated in December 1993 with a degree in Missions.  Kurt and the love of his life, Christy Payne, were married on January 1, 1994. 

Christy, as well, grew up in middle Tennessee and attended Franklin Road Christian School.  She graduated from high school in 1990 and furthered her education at Pensacola Christian College where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education.  God blessed the Copeland’s with two amazing daughters.  Angel was born in 1997, and Gabrielle followed in 2000.  Both girls are now married and serve the Lord with their husbands.  The Copeland’s rejoice greatly in the goodness of God for their daughters and the son-in-law’s God has given them.  

Kurt served as a youth pastor in Florida for two years before moving back to Murfreesboro, Tennessee at the invitation of Dr. Tom Wallace to serve as youth pastor at his home church of Franklin Road.  God allowed the Copelands to serve faithfully at FRBC for just shy of 26 years as youth pastor.  God blessed in amazing ways under the leadership of Dr. Tom Wallace and Dr. Mike Norris.  The youth ministry flourished, and God called numerous teens into full-time service and multitudes more into a faithful life of living for God.  In January 2020, God led the Copelands to resign from the youth pastorate and by faith go into evangelism. 

Based out of Highland Chapel Baptist Church in Cedar Hill, Tennessee, and under the direction of Pastor Blake Stiles, God allowed them to travel across the United States and into foreign countries preaching the Gospel for nearly five years.

On Aug 1, 2024, God led the Copelands to move from their home of over 25 years and home area of over 35 years to Mobile, Alabama to pastor the great people of Lighthouse Baptist Church.  It is a dream come true and the joy of their lives to be part of such an amazing church family.  We look forward with great anticipation to see all the great things that God is going to do in the greater Mobile area as we all serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords together in Theodore, Alabama.