Mars Hill Presbyterian Church to Celebrate the Rev. Dr. Bryant Harris’ Retirement After 30 Years of Service
 
ACWORTH, GA — After three decades of faithful leadership, Rev. Dr. Bryant Harris will retire on Easter Sunday. In the 187-year history of the church, Rev. Harris is its longest-serving pastor. The church will honor his dedication and impact with two significant events:​
 
– Retirement Celebration: A celebratory gathering is scheduled for April 12, 2025, from 1:00-5:00 p.m. at the Navy Lodge on Lake Allatoona. This event offers church members, friends, and the wider community an opportunity to express their gratitude and share memories of Rev. Harris’ time at Mars Hill.​

– Final Sermon: Rev. Harris will deliver his concluding sermon on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, at Mars Hill Presbyterian Church, located at 3385 Mars Hill Road, Acworth, GA.​

Rev. Harris has served as pastor at Mars Hill Presbyterian since 1995, guiding the congregation through significant growth, community outreach, and challenges, including church expansion, mission work, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Under his leadership, Mars Hill established a thriving preschool, launched international and local ministry efforts, and remained a steadfast presence in the Acworth community.​
 
At a meeting on 3/8/25, the congregation named Rev. Harris the church’s first Pastor Emeritus.
 
To arrange interviews and coverage for either event, please contact: 
 
Rob Walter
Deacon, Marketing Committee
(713) 894-9043
walter.rob@gmail.com
 
 
 
Longest-serving Pastor in 187-Year History of Mars Hill Presbyterian Church prepares to retire
 
When Bryant Harris started as pastor of Mars Hill Presbyterian Church in Acworth, Georgia, he could do something regularly that today which would be considered foolish – and maybe dangerous – on Mars Hill Road.
 
“I could walk out into the middle of the street, look both ways, get down, tie my shoes, get up, look both ways, and stroll back to the church side,” he says, remembering how rural the area was. “There was nothing here. We were out in the country.”

Today when he looks out from the 187-year old church campus, he sees a steady stream of traffic flowing past. It’s a reminder that he’s been the steady heart of the church through many seasons of change, challenges, and growth. But this spring, on his 30th Easter Sunday, he will give his final sermon, perform his final baptism, and give his final goodbye to his congregation.
 
”It’s been a wonderful thing for me to have been here for that long,” he said. “Most of what I do is through other people, and it’s something we do together. And if I’ve done anything good, it’s because we’ve done a lot of good things together.”
 
A Calling That Led to Acworth
 
Pastor Harris didn’t realize when he started at Mars Hill that he would become the church’s longest-serving pastor. In fact, he didn’t always envision a life in ministry. After college, he was drawn to faith leadership while playing guitar and helping with youth groups at a church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Encouraged by mentors and strengthened by prayer, he attended and graduated seminary, returning to Charlotte as the associate pastor at Third Presbyterian Church.
 
From there he received the opportunity to become head pastor of Morningside Presbyterian in Columbus, Georgia, getting his first chance to lead a congregation. He completed his Doctor of Ministry degree and had no plans to leave when he received a call from Mars Hill. It was 1993 and Mars Hill was searching for a new leader, after their pastor of eighteen years had left the previous year.
 
It wasn’t necessarily out of the blue. Turns out a member of the church actually had ties to his wife’s family and suggested the pastoral search committee contact Pastor Bryant. His initial reaction? “No, I’m not really interested in a new church at this point, but thanks for calling!” he remembers telling them. But something gave him pause.
 
“I said, ‘Wait, wait a minute, just send me the form. It’d be nice to just look at it,’” he said. “They sent it to me, and I put it at the bottom of a pile of papers, where it kept moving up for the rest of the year.
 
“I looked at it occasionally, and when I was ready to think about moving, I called the head of the search committee to see if they were still looking,” he said. 
 
Turns out they were. In fact, after a two-year search, the committee was a week away from telling the congregation they were going to give up. Pastor Harris spoke with the search committee, and the rest is history.
 
It wasn’t until they arrived in Acworth that they realized just how deeply his wife Linda’s family was woven into the fabric of the church. They knew her mother had grown up in Acworth and had gone to a Presbyterian church there, as did an aunt of her mother.
 
“After we got here, Linda’s parents actually told us, ‘Oh, she’s actually related to seven of the eight founding members,’” he recalled with a laugh. “They hadn’t told us before because they didn’t want to influence our decision.”
 
A Church Through Change
 
Leading a historic church presents unique challenges. Established in 1837, Mars Hill Presbyterian has seen generations come and go, yet it has remained a cornerstone of the community. Under Pastor Harris’s leadership, the church navigated periods of growth, denominational changes, and major events like economic downturns and the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Some of the more visible accomplishments of his tenure include the expansion of church facilities, particularly the preschool and children’s building—a project that required a dedicated capital campaign and years of planning. That was also the project that led him and his wife Linda to form a Jimmy Buffett cover band – showing his true dedication to the church.
 
“The committee said they wanted me to donate to the campaign and that would help encourage the rest of the congregation to give,” he said. “But we had two high school kids about to go to college, and a pastor’s salary isn’t that much. Money was tight. I liked Jimmy Buffett, and I liked performing, so Linda and I would start playing at events around the area. And that’s how we donated to the campaign. It was a lot of fun, and we met a lot of great people.”
 
It turned out to be a great strategic move for the church. The Mars Hill Preschool has been a defining outreach program serving a diverse array of families, with many choosing its nurturing environment over state-funded alternatives.
 
“We’ve even had families of different faiths bring their children here,” Harris shared. “They’d say, ‘Can you just keep the faith part out of it?’ And we’d say no. And they’d say, ‘Okay, we’ll still bring them.’ That’s how much they love the program.”
 
Beyond the preschool, Mars Hill has extended its reach through a food pantry, a strong mission program in Kenya that has helped fund an orphanage, and various community programs, many of which Harris hopes will continue to thrive long after his retirement.
 
Lessons in Leadership and Faith
 
Reflecting on his time as pastor, Harris emphasized the lessons he’s learned—not just about ministry, but about people.
 
“You have to listen more than you speak,” he said. “You can’t please everyone. And at the end of the day, success isn’t measured in numbers—it’s measured in faithfulness.”
 
His faith, too, has evolved over the years.
 
“I’ve grown in my understanding of God’s grace—and my own need for it,” he admitted. “Early on, I was more of a people-pleaser. I’ve learned that love is essential.”
 
Recently, the congregation decided to cement Pastor Bryant’s role in the church’s history even further. They voted to make him their first Pastor Emeritus. 
 
“What an honor to be named Pastor Emeritus!” he said. “I greatly appreciate the love and support I have received from our church family over these many years.”
 
Looking to the Future
 
For the first time in 30 years, Pastor Bryant won’t be spending his Sundays in front of a congregation. Instead, he looks forward to worshiping alongside Linda, exploring the elusive concept of “weekends,” and taking trips without the concern of needing to rush back for church responsibilities.
 
“I’m excited to read Scripture and devotionals without thinking about how to turn them into sermons,” he said.
 
As Mars Hill prepares for a new chapter, Harris leaves behind a legacy of steady leadership, deep faith, and a commitment to community. Though he’ll no longer be behind the pulpit, the impact of his ministry will continue to resonate in the lives of those he has served.
 
When asked why he stayed so long at Mars Hill, his answer was simple:
 
“I never looked at Mars Hill as ‘a place to go from here,” like to a new church or a bigger church. I never felt called to leave. It feels good that we were able to stay this long.”
 
Contact information:
Rob Walter, Deacon, Marketing Committee
E: walter.rob@gmail.com
C: (713) 894-9043