ERIC STITTS
It was on a Friday afternoon when I was five years old that I realized I had a need for Christ to be my Savior. Over the months prior, I was coming to realize that I was a sinner and I was separated from a holy God. That Friday afternoon with the help of my parents I knelt down on the front porch steps of my house and I received Jesus Christ to be my Savior and Lord. Soon after surrendering my life to Christ I made it public by being baptized at Bayside Baptist Church by my Father. My call into the ministry took place while I was on a mission trip in Middle School, one of the many reasons why I am so passionate about missions. The Lord made it so clear that He was calling me out to be a Minister of the gospel. At that moment I knew that I wanted to do nothing else but be a minister. After my call into ministry, my entire life was focused on growing closer to the Lord and being equipped for the call that He has on my life. I believe that my three greatest passions in ministry are evangelism, missions, and maturing followers in the faith. It is a joy and privilege as a pastor to bring direction to a church to be evangelistic, mission minded, and passionate about growing in the Lord. I hold personally that God’s word is inerrant and I do affirm the Baptist Faith and Message of 2000. I believe that a church should be focused on Evangelism, Missions, and Making Disciples through prayer, the Word and the Spirit.
Pastor Eric comes to us from Chattanooga, TN. He is married to Amy and they have four children, John Robert, Emily Grace, Mary Beth, and Matthew Eric. Pastor Eric is interested in coaching Matthews baseball team, reading, having quality time with his family and enjoying sports.
Pastor Eric graduated with a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary of Louisville, Ky.