Mac Brunson

{{Short description|American minister}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2015}} {{Infobox person | name = Mac Brunson | image = | caption = | birth_name = Donald McCall Brunson | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|9|20}} | birth_place = {{nowrap|Greenwood, South Carolina, U.S.}} | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Pastor | spouse = Debbie Brunson | children = Courtney, Trey, Wills | website = {{URL|inlight.org}} | signature = }}

{{Southern Baptists}}

'''Donald McCall "Mac" Brunson''' (born September 20, 1957) is an American Baptist minister who was the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, a Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) megachurch. Previously, he served as senior pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and in 2018 took over as the senior pastor of Hoover, Alabama's Valleydale Church.

==Career==

Brunson was born in the small town of Greenwood, South Carolina, the youngest of three children. He helped out in his father's retail furniture store and played football in high school. He became convinced of the truth of his religion at the age of 12 while at a summer camp run by the church.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_8037/is_20060213/ai_n47236630/ | title = Brunson to bring blazing oratory | work = Florida Times Union | date = February 13, 2006 | author = Jeff Brumley | accessdate = 2010-08-04 }} {{dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Brunson decided to become a minister during his freshman year at North Greenville College, where he completed his associate degree. He then obtained a B.A. at Furman University in Greenville. He studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned his Master of Divinity degree in 1985 and his Doctor of Ministry degree in 1991.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.swbts.edu/swnews/articles_detail.cfm?Article_ID=255 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527144617/http://www.swbts.edu/swnews/articles_detail.cfm?Article_ID=255 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2010-05-27 |date=Summer 2009 |volume=67 |issue=4 |title=Mac Brunson |author=Benjamin Hawkins |work=Southwestern News |publisher=Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary |accessdate=2010-08-04 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/authors/authors.asp?a=Brunson_Mac | title = Mac Brunson | work = B&H Publishing Group | accessdate = 2010-08-04 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170518143858/http://www2.bhpublishinggroup.com/authors/authors.asp?a=Brunson_Mac | archive-date = May 18, 2017 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Thereafter, he became pastor of South Norfolk Baptist Church in Chesapeake, Virginia, and then Green Street Baptist Church in High Point, North Carolina.<ref name=abp119>{{cite web |url=http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/941/119/ |title=Mac Brunson of Dallas likely to follow Vines as pastor of Jacksonville church |author=Greg Warner |date=February 9, 2006 |work=Associated Baptist Press |accessdate=2010-08-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928184209/http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/941/119/ |archivedate=September 28, 2011 }}</ref>

In 1999 Brunson was appointed senior pastor of the historic First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://peterlumpkins.typepad.com/peter_lumpkins/2007/06/jim_richards_fi.html | date = 2007-06-07 | title = Mac Brunson: Jim Richards is God's Man for First Vice President | author = Peter Lumpkins | work = SBC Tomorrow | accessdate = 2010-08-04 }}</ref> He was president of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastor's Conference in 2003.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.navpress.com/author/A16483/Mac-Brunson | title = Mac Brunson | publisher = Navpress | accessdate = 2010-08-04 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100505014956/http://www.navpress.com/author/A16483/Mac-Brunson | archive-date = May 5, 2010 | url-status = dead }}</ref> He moved to Jacksonville, Florida in February 2006 to replace retiring pastor Jerry Vines as senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=22637 |title=Dallas pastor Mac Brunson may leave historic pastorate; Fla. church to consider him as successor to Jerry Vines |work=Baptist Press |date=February 10, 2006 |author=James A. Smith Sr. |accessdate=2010-08-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320031908/http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=22637 |archivedate=March 20, 2012 }}</ref> At that time the Jacksonville church had 28,000 members and occupied eleven blocks of downtown.<ref name=abp119 /> On May 6, 2018, Brunson preached his last sermon as senior pastor of First Baptist Church Jacksonville.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.news4jax.com/community/2018/04/30/mac-brunson-resigns-as-senior-pastor-of-first-baptist-church/|title=Mac Brunson resigns as senior pastor of First Baptist Church|first=Steve|last=Patrick|date=April 30, 2018|website=WJXT}}</ref> On July 22, 2018 Brunson started preaching at another Southern Baptist church, Valleydale Church in Hoover, Alabama.

==Activities== In 2006 Brunson joined Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton, Congressman Ander Crenshaw and Senator Bill Nelson in a Memorial Day ceremony.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/strange/news-article.aspx?storyid=58380 | title = Memorial Day: Honoring Those Who Lost Their Lives for Our Freedom | work = First Coast News | date = 2006-05-29 | accessdate = 2010-08-04 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> On Jacksonville's 2007 Day of Faith in September 2007 he called on anyone who wanted to pray for solidarity against crime. The previous year the event had been sponsored by the city, but this time it was purely arranged by the churches.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/strange/news-article.aspx?storyid=89631 | title = No City Dollars in New "Day of Faith" | work = First Coast News | date = 2007-08-22 | accessdate = 2010-08-04 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In April 2009 a police detective who is also a member of Brunson's security detail investigated the website of a blogger critical of Brunson's $300,000 salary and other perks. Discussing the accusations, Brunson said he was one of the lowest-paid mega-church pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention. The anonymous blogger's name was revealed to the church, and a trespass warning was issued that banned the longtime member and his wife from First Baptist.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackchristiannews.com/news/2009/04/unmasked-church-blogger-who-criticized-first-baptist-jacksonville-pastor-mac-brunson-former-pastor-o.html |title=Unmasked Church Blogger who Criticized First Baptist Jacksonville Pastor, Mac Brunson (Former Pastor of First Baptist Dallas), Mad as Hell. What's Going On? |date=April 15, 2009 |work=BCNN1.com (Black Christian News) |accessdate=2010-08-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619185821/http://blackchristiannews.com/news/2009/04/unmasked-church-blogger-who-criticized-first-baptist-jacksonville-pastor-mac-brunson-former-pastor-o.html |archivedate=June 19, 2011 }}</ref> The blogger later filed a lawsuit against First Baptist and Brunson, claiming they committed fraud and misrepresented events, and that the pastor made malicious and false statements.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=142215&catid=3 | work = First Coast News | date = 2009-07-23 | title = Banned Blogger Sues First Baptist Church and Pastor | accessdate = 2010-08-04 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In April 2012 the defamation lawsuit was settled under confidential terms. Brunson made a public apology for his statements, in which he had called the blogger "obsessive compulsive" and a "sociopath".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://old.abpnews.com/content/view/7282/53/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130116035821/http://old.abpnews.com/content/view/7282/53/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 16, 2013 |work=Associated Baptist Press |title=FBC Jacksonville settles defamation lawsuit |author=Bob Allen |date=April 2, 2012 |accessdate=2012-08-15 }}</ref>

Brunson is a supporter of the Institute for Creation Research (ICR). At the 2009 annual Pastors Conference held at First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, the ICR gave away some 6,000 books and magazines promoting creationism and criticizing belief in evolution.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.icr.org/article/anchors-away-confronting-biblical-drift-among-toda/ | title = Anchors Away? Confronting biblical drift among today's evangelicals | author = Lawrence Ford | publisher = Institute for Creation Research | accessdate = 2010-08-04 }}</ref> In May 2010 Brunson called on Southern Baptist pastors to follow the Great Commission in proclaiming the gospel everywhere they go in order to stem the considerable decline in church membership.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pray4gcr.com/2010/05/mac-brunson-pastor-of-fbc-jacksonville-florida-calls-upon-pastors-to-come-to-orlando-and-affirm-all-7-gcr-recommendations/ |title=Mac Brunson, Pastor of FBC Jacksonville, Florida Calls Upon Pastors to Come to Orlando and Affirm All 7 GCR Recommendations |date=May 31, 2010 |author=Brian Armas |work=pray4gcr.com |publisher=SBC |accessdate=2010-08-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715111717/http://www.pray4gcr.com/2010/05/mac-brunson-pastor-of-fbc-jacksonville-florida-calls-upon-pastors-to-come-to-orlando-and-affirm-all-7-gcr-recommendations/ |archivedate=July 15, 2011 }}</ref> Brunson is the founder of Inlight Ministries, which broadcasts his message around the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://inlight.org/ |title=Inlight Ministries |publisher=Inlight Ministries |accessdate=2010-08-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204092924/http://www.inlight.org/ |archivedate=February 4, 2010 }}</ref> Inlight also provides podcasts via iTunes.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/inlight-ministries-pastor/id214089644 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121108214137/https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/inlight-ministries-pastor/id214089644 | url-status = dead | archive-date = November 8, 2012 | title = Inlight Ministries with Pastor Mac Brunson | work = iTunes | accessdate = 2010-08-04 }}</ref>

===Ordinance 2012-296===

In 2012, Brunson was a vocal opponent of Ordinance 2012-296, a bill that if passed would have added sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to the City of Jacksonville's Human Rights Commission.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://cityclts.coj.net/coj/COJbillDetail.asp?F=2012-0296\Original%20Text | title = 2012-296.doc | publisher = City of Jacksonville | accessdate = 2012-09-19 }}</ref> Adding this wording would have established protections for those stated groups in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations. In an August 7, 2012 opinion piece in the ''Florida Times-Union'', Brunson wrote, "With the left hand, City Council wants us to believe it is concerned with the rights of the church. Yet with the right hand, council reveals its true intention — requiring Christians to subordinate their faith to the dictates of government steered by a rabid minority".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://jacksonville.com/opinion/letters-readers/2012-08-07/story/mac-brunson-what-jesus-would-do-about-gay-rights | title = Mac Brunson: What Jesus would do about gay rights | publisher = Florida Times-Union | accessdate = 2012-09-19 }}</ref> On an August 15 vote, the original and altered form of the bill failed to pass the city council. City council members that voted down the bill were later honored at a First Baptist Church service, Brunson as the presiding pastor.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/406107/ron-littlepage/2012-09-12/watch-first-baptist-church-blessing-council-members | title = Watch: First Baptist Church blessing for council members who voted against gay rights bill | publisher = Florida Times-Union | accessdate = 2012-09-19 }}</ref>

==Bibliography== * {{cite book | title = The miracle you've been searching for (Miracles Can Still Happen Series) | author = Mac Brunson, Donald Brunson | publisher = Moody Publishers | year = 2004 | isbn = 0-8024-1375-7 }} * {{cite book | title = Why Churches Die: Diagnosing Lethal Poisons in the Body of Christ | author = Mac Brunson, Ergun Caner | publisher = B&H Publishing Group | year = 2005 | isbn = 0-8054-3181-0 }} * {{cite book |title = The God You've Been Searching For |author = Mac Brunson |publisher = Moody Publishers |year = 2005 |isbn = 0-8024-1373-0 |url-access = registration |url = https://archive.org/details/godyouvebeensear00macb }} * {{cite book | title = The New Guidebook for Pastors | author = James W. Bryant, Mac Brunson | publisher = B&H Publishing Group | year = 2007 | isbn = 978-0-8054-4429-2 }} * {{cite book | title = Paralyzed by Fear Or Empowered by Hope: A Fresh Look at Psalm 23 | author = Mac Brunson | publisher = NavPress | year = 2010 | isbn = 978-1-61521-563-8 }}

==References== {{reflist|2}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunson, Mac}} Category:Living people Category:1957 births Category:Clergy from Jacksonville, Florida Category:Southern Baptist ministers Category:People from Greenwood, South Carolina