Bro. Mike Porter
Pastor
My wife, Tina, and I grew up right next door to each other in Southaven, Mississippi. We married after high school in November of 1990. We have 2 adult children, Matt and Ashley, as well as 5 wonderful, heart-stealing grandbabies: McKinley, Laegan, Jase, Karsyn and Maddie (our latest addition).
In the fall of 2001, I surrendered to my calling to the Gospel ministry and began seminary school at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. In 2004, after receiving my Theology degree, I was called to First Baptist Church of Edina, Missouri to serve as their lead pastor. Knowing God would work out the details, I packed everything we owned and moved my family 9 hours away. I served in Edina for 3 ½ years before getting the call in 2007 to return home. On Sunday, September 9th, 2007, I preached my first sermon at Strayhorn Baptist Church and I guess you can say “the rest is history”.
Pastoring a church is truly an act of love…. And sometimes that means I’m there 7 days a week. When you love what you do and you have an awesome Boss (Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace)… it never really feels like work. When I am not in God’s house, you can catch me spending time with my beautiful family, spending time out on the water (boating, tubing, fishing, etc.), camping and literally anything else that allows me to be close to the people I love.
I have been abundantly blessed and feel so very honored to be allowed the opportunity to serve as Senior Pastor with such an amazing staff and incredible church members. We are truly a family… a growing family. I love the LORD and I love the community of Strayhorn!
Strayhorn Baptist Church has set as a cornerstone of our community and has been preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ since 1884. (Don’t worry, we’ve renovated since then.) The favor of God has been on this church for generations because of her commitment to its core values: Evangelizing the lost and equipping the saints! SBC is committed to passionate worship and the anointed preaching of God’s Holy Word!
What makes us stand out? Our genuine love for God and God’s people! But the truth is… we are just a group of “real people with real problems worshiping a real God with real solutions”! I would absolutely love for you to join our family as we take the Gospel across the street, throughout our community and around the world! Please be our special guest and let us know how we can serve you. We look forward to meeting you soon.
Vacant
Worship Leader
Bro. Gary Brooks
Youth Pastor
Gary has been a member of Strayhorn Baptist Church for over a decade. He was invited to take over the position of Youth Pastor in 2019 and has since then helped mold and shape our teens through God’s Word. Gary has been married to his wonderful wife, Lou, since 2001 and together they have one son, Sam.
When Gary is not working with our youth, he enjoys spending time on his boat, tubing and fishing, wood working and traveling with his family.
He is currently a Master Theology student at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where he is set to complete his Master’s degree in Christian Theology in Fall 2023.