James Oney to be nominated for Georgia Baptist Convention vice president

By HENRY DURAND, The Christian Index

Thursday, November 6, 2025

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — James Oney, pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in north Fayetteville, will be nominated for vice president of the Georgia Baptist Convention when messengers gather next week in Atlanta, according to Griffin Gulledge, senior pastor of First Baptist Fayetteville.

Gulledge called Oney “one of the best men that I know.” When families ask him for another solid church in the area, Gulledge often recommends Liberty and pastor Oney because, "I know they’ll hear God’s Word taught faithfully, have a pastor who loves them, and be part of a church that is serious about discipleship and the Great Commission.” He added that Georgia Baptists “can never have too many godly, committed pastors from all walks of life involved in our convention,” and said Oney already serves that way.

Oney and his wife, Chantel, will celebrate 23 years of marriage on Dec. 7. They have four sons — Caleb, 18; Israel, 17; Joel, 8; and Timothy, 6 — and a child in heaven. Oney said ministry “begins at home,” and that walking through seasons of grief and growth as a family has deepened his commitment to lead with compassion and humility. He points to his parents’ example of prayer and perseverance as the “foundation for my own faith journey.”

He was raised in a home where the gospel was taught, but said he spent his late teens chasing acceptance and “became entangled in a lifestyle of sin, pain, and spiritual emptiness.” After several near-death experiences, and while his parents faithfully prayed that he would respond ot God’s call, Oney said he reached a breaking point. In his parents’ living room in April 2001, “I confessed my sin, repented, and placed my full faith and trust in Jesus Christ,” he recalled. “Since that day, I have not turned back.”

Oney shared that his understanding of salvation is founded on Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:4-8, and that truth still fuels his passion to help others experience “the same life-changing grace.”

Gulledge said that grace is visible in the way Oney leads Liberty Baptist. The church gives 8% of its budget to Georgia Baptist causes, and Oney has served beyond his own congregation. Oney is active in the Southside Baptist Network, moderating the association for two years, regularly attends Georgia Baptist Mission Board events, and serves on this year’s GBC Nominating Committee. “James is one of us,” Gulledge said. “He’s a pastor of a church of 200 whose reach expands far beyond the walls of Liberty Baptist because of his kingdom-minded service and cooperation.”

Oney said cooperation through the Cooperative Program “ensures that Georgia Baptists remain united in advancing the gospel. It enables every church, regardless of size, to participate in local, national, and international missions. Our shared giving reflects our shared calling, securing a vibrant future for generations of believers.”

He believes that one of the pressing challenges for Georgia Baptist churches is “a lack of intentional engagement with the diversity of people, nations, and tribes that make up our communities.” Even as Georgia’s population becomes even more diverse, Oney said, “we have grown comfortable within our own cultural circles, neglecting the gospel’s call to reach all people with Christ’s love.”

The answer to overcoming this challenge is “renewing our passion for evangelism and discipleship, and embracing the diversity of the mission field God has placed around us,” Oney said. He urged pastors to train members to view evangelism not as an event but as “a lifestyle that begins with intentional relationships.”

His prayer, he said, is that every Georgia Baptist church will become “a beacon of hope in its community, modeling the love of Christ to people of every background and proclaiming with one voice that Jesus alone saves, unites, and transforms.”

--- PHOTOS ---

File: 20251105-102140-a7d-Oney_I25A2993_JM810_SHP.JPEG

Caption: James Oney, pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Fayetteville, with his wife Chantel and their sons Caleb, Israel, Joel, and Timothy. (Photo/courtesy of James Oney)