Deerfoot Baptist welcomes Pastor Mark Gainey

By Megan Miller, Editor

TRUSSVILLE – Mark Gainey has joined the staff at Deerfoot Baptist Church as lead pastor.

Gainey grew up in south Alabama, born in Dothan and raised in Troy. He has been in the ministry for 17 years.

Gainey said at first he ran from his call to ministry, but while sitting at his desk job in the business field in Birmingham, he had a moment where he knew he wanted more.

“I was typing something and I thought, ‘I’m never going to be fulfilled doing this,’” Gainey said. “My wife and I prayed about it, and when my wife married me she was not intending to be a pastor’s wife, so that’s something we had to work through.”

Deerfoot Baptist Church (submitted photo)

Gainey was licensed to the Gospel Ministiry in 1999 at Calvary Baptist Church in Dothan, and was ordained at Valleydale Baptist Church in Birmingham in 2001. He has served as Outreach and Missions Pastor at Valleydale Baptist Church for three years, before serving as a church planter for nine years in Shelby County.

Gainey took a brief break from ministry before serving as Interim Pastor in Shelby County, and has been serving as Senior Pastor at Lake Martin Baptist Church for the last three years. During Gainey’s time at Lake Martin Baptist Church, the church baptized over 45 people and experienced a great amount of growth.

Gainey said when he got to Lake Martin Baptist, the church was mostly comprised of senior adults, which he said is a similar situation at Deerfoot Baptist.

“I thought maybe this was God grooming us for something else here at Deerfoot,” Gainey said.

Gainey said he has a tendency to be stubborn when he knows God is calling him to something different, but he and his family are excited to be in a community with great schools and that also has the convenience factor.

“At Lake Martin you had to drive half an hour just to get to Publix,” Gainey joked.

After almost two decades in ministry, Gainey said his favorite part is still getting to work with people.

“My favorite part of forming relationships is when I see a light come on, when I see a life being changed and transformed,” Gainey said.

Gaine is working on his doctorate specializing in church revitalization, and said he’s excited for the opportunity to be at Deerfoot Baptist.

“Deerfoot is a church that’s ready to rebuild, in a sense,” Gainey said. “I’m most excited about connecting with younger families here and connecting them to if not Deerfoot, at least to God in some way. I’m excited about the opportunities Trussville provides for that.”

Gainey and his wife, Tasha, have been married for 18 years and have four children ranging in age from 15 to 5-years-old.