Our Pastor
Dr. George W. C. Lyons, Jr. is the12th Pastor of the historic Gillfield Baptist Church. He is a native of Los Angeles, California and the only son of Mrs. Delores Lyons and the late Rev. Dr. George W. C. Lyons, Sr.
Dr. Lyons is a graduate of the University of California- Los Angeles where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science; The Howard University School of Divinity in Washington, D.C. where he earned, with honors, the Master of Divinity degree and the Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He has completed additional studies in the Department of Religion as a Ford Foundation fellow at Princeton University.
From 1999-2008, Dr. Lyons served as the Senior Pastor of The First Calvary Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has served as a staff minister at the New Hope Baptist Church and the Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles, The Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. and the Mount Olive Baptist Church in Knoxville.
Dr. Lyons is active in civic and religious affairs having held positions of leadership on numerous boards and committees, which included: Leadership Knoxville, Tribe One of Knoxville, the Knox County Emergency Management Administration, the Harrison-Chilhowee Baptist Academy, the Knoxville District Baptist Association, the Tennessee Baptist Missionary and Educational State Convention, the Knoxville Downtown YMCA, The Primetime-Wesley House Foundation, The Knoxville Inner-City Churches United for People, The Knox County Association of Baptists Evangelism board, The Knoxville Interdenominational Christian Ministerial Alliance, the Knox County No Senior Left Behind-Senior Summit Steering Committee and the Knoxville Outreach Council of the Alzheimer’s Association of East Tennessee. Dr. Lyons was appointed by the Mayor of Knoxville to serve as a Commissioner on the Knoxville Police Advisory and Review Committee. Dr. Lyons served as a volunteer Chaplain with the Knoxville Police Department, and was a member of the 2002 class of Leadership Knoxville. Dr. Lyons was also an instructor for the American Baptist College Extension Center in Knoxville for several years.
Dr. Lyons is a member of the editorial staff of the National Baptist Voice, the official publication of the National Baptist Convention, USA.
Dr. Lyons and his wife LaCrechia are the parents of three daughters: Jessica, Maya and Angela.
Most of all, Dr. Lyons is committed to carrying the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all and equipping the members of the household of faith.