Our Staff

Andy Merritt

Senior Pastor

Andy is the pastor of Edgewood Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia, where he has served for 31 years. In addition to his pastoral duties, Andy is one of the early pioneers and leaders in the Crisis Pregnancy Center Movement.

In 1981 Andy led his church to establish the nation’s first church sponsored Crisis Pregnancy Center, which now has had the opportunity to minister to 50,000 different women. In addition to the Center, the church established the new Beginnings Adoption Agency in 1984.

Andy has traveled nationwide assisting in the establishment and/or training of over 500 Crisis Pregnancy centers, and his church hosts a National Crisis Pregnancy Center Conference every other year.

Andy is a graduate of Washington Bible College in Lanham, Maryland where he received a B.A. in Biblical Education. Andy and his wife, Kathy, are the joyful parents of ten children: Jonathan, Christy, James, Carrie, Joel, Catherine, Carol, Carla, Caytlin, and Charissa. They have nine grandchildren and another is on the way.

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David B. Howle

Minister to Senior Adults

David Howle was born May 9, 1934 in Oxford, Alabama, the last of five children. His earlier life was spent in the small town of Oxford in northeast Alabama.

He was educated in the primary and high schools of Oxford and was baptized in First Baptist Church of Oxford in 1943. His college education was received at Samford University in Birmingham, which at that time was known as Howard University. He graduated in 1956 and that same year entered into the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky to receive his seminary education. He graduated from seminary in January of 1960.

His pastoral experience includes the leadership of churches in Indiana (Hopewell Baptist in Madison), Alabama (Pleasant Grove Baptist in Clayton and Calvary Baptist in Abbeville), and Georgia (First Baptist Church in Baxley and Edgewood Baptist in Columbus).

In 1963, he was appointed as a Southern Baptist missionary to the field of South Korea, where he served until the middle of 1969. After returning from Korea in 1969, he went to Baxley, Georgia to serve as pastor of the First Baptist Church where he stayed until the Fall of 1972. At that time, he was called to pastor the Edgewood Baptist Church in Columbus where he stayed until his retirement in January of 2002. Since his retirement from senior pastor, he has served as Interim pastor in several churches.

Reverend Howle is married to the former Carole Moore of Anniston, Alabama. The Howle's have five children, four girls and one boy. In chronological order, their names are Christy, Marian, Kirk, Tammy and Holley, and a total of fifteen grandchildren.

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Jonathan Merritt

Associate Pastor, Education

Jonathan joined the EBC staff in 2004. A graduate of Washington Bible College (B.A. ’98) and Capital Bible Seminary (MDiv. ’01), he previously served as Dean of Men and adjunct Bible instructor at the Washington Bible College.

Jonathan and his wife Chris have four children: Anthony (7yrs), Sean (6yrs), Seth (4yrs), and Erin (2yrs). He enjoys spending time with his family, leaving town on vacation, reading without interruption, and sports.

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James Wilson

Associate Pastor, Administration

James joined the EBC staff in 1984. He graduated from Columbus State University and Georgia State University and holds a six-year Education Specialist Degree in Administration and Supervision.

Before joining the EBC staff he served as a classroom teacher, gifted education resource teacher, assistant principal at Baker High School, and principal of Muscogee Elementary School in Columbus.
At Edgewood, James has served as a Sunday School teacher, as a deacon, as Minister of Education, and as Principal of Christian Heritage Academy. He has served as the Associate Pastor for Administration since 1990.

James and his wife Nan joined EBC in 1976. They have four children: Samuel, married to Kinsey and serving in the Air Force in California; Sarah, married to Josh Koester and living in Orlando; Jonathan, married to Melia and serving as Minister of Youth in Pine Mountain, Georgia; and Joseph who is attending Briercrest Bible College in Canada. They have six grandchildren: Brianna, Jonah, Mariah, Aspen, Harley, and Jericho.

James sees his role at EBC as one of providing support services for the various ministry departments of the church and the church membership. His goal is to maintain the “nuts and bolts” coordination of the church’s overall ministry program.

He strives to keep the lines of communication open among the elders, church staff, deacons, and the church family.

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Tim Hopper

Youth Pastor

Tim was born and raised in Bells, Tennessee (Go Vols!!!). His Home church is Holly Grove Baptist Church. It was there that he learned about Christ and became a Christian at the age of 12. At age 16, Tim surrendered his life to the Gospel Ministry. He attended College at Union University, in Jackson, Tennessee, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree. He majored in Christian Studies with a minor in Family Studies.

It was at Union, where Tim met his wife, Rachel. Rachel was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, but if you ask her where her home is, she will reply that it is in Memphis, Tennessee. Her Parents were missionaries in South Africa and have come back to the States, where her father currently is a Pastor in Clarksville, Tennessee.

After Tim and Rachel graduated Union, they were married on May 28th, 2005. They moved to Wake Forest, North Carolina where Tim graduated from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Masters in Divinity, in May 2009. During their years at Seminary, they were blessed with two beautiful girls. Ella Grace was born on November 20th, 2007; and Ava Elizabeth was born June 3, 2009. Tim and Rachel were called to Edgewood Baptist Church in June 2009.

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