MEET OUR PASTOR

Jacob Haywood was called to FBC Portland in April of 2023.

He and his wife Sara Collins Haywood, have been married for nearly 14 years and have 3 children.

Jacob completed his Masters of Divinity Degree in Christian Ministry in 2015 from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is currently in the dissertation stage of pursuing a PhD from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Apologetics, with a focus on the problem of evil and suffering.

Jacob has served for over 14 years as an Associate Pastor in the ministries of Children, Students and Young Adults. He is also the founder of Reason for Hope, an apologetics and hope amidst suffering ministry. He is an apologetics consultant for Awana, a regular contributor to Lifeway Research, and author of the children's book Uncreated God and the upcoming book Battles in the Promised Land: Suffering, Hope, and the Abundant Christian Life.

Pastor Jacob's great desire is that FBC Portland would love God deeply. That means that the church would dive deep in seeking knowledge of who God is and in making God known to the world around them. Jesus said the two great commandments are to love God and love our neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40). The church should love God above all else and love our neighbors inside and outside the church just as God does. Because of this, Pastor Jacob is passionate about equipping the saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12), to be the hands and feet of Jesus in Portland and to the ends of the earth.