Derek Futrell
LEAD PASTOR
Pastor Derek and Melissa were married in July 2000 and God has blessed them with five children: Elijah, Isaac, Sam, Esther Joy, and Anna Faith. Their first calling is to make disciples of their children and they desire to raise their children with a biblical worldview helping them to see the need for Christ in the world and releasing them to follow God’s call wherever that might lead them. Pastor Derek is passionate about the family and spending his ministry discipling men to love their wives, disciple their children, and to seek to know God, glorify Him, and make Him known among our neighbors and the nations.
Pastor Derek came to saving faith in February of 1992 and was baptized at Northside Baptist Church in Panama City, FL. Derek was called into vocational ministry when he was 15 years old at Centrifuge Camp in Ridgecrest, NC. God made His calling abundantly clear through the confirmation of His Word, through a burning desire to teach and preach the gospel, and confirmation through pastors and other leaders in his life. Derek spent most of his early ministry serving on staff in churches in VA, NC and SC while earning a degree in Music Education from Gardner-Webb University. He graduated from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity in Theology and Worship Leadership. While in seminary, Derek had the opportunity to serve on the church planting team of Parkway with our founding pastor, Dr. Brian Autry. He served Parkway as the Worship & Student Pastor for the first 5 years and as Pastor for Worship & Missions for 7 years. In 2014 God lead Pastor Derek and his family to his primary calling to preach and teach as Senior Pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Martinsville, VA. In 2017 God called Pastor Derek back to Parkway as our Lead Pastor. He is passionate about leading the church to be on mission for Christ to make disciples who make disciples to send out church planters and missionaries. God has equipped Pastor Derek to mobilize and lead His church to reach their Jerusalem, their Judea, their Samaria, and the ends of the earth with the gospel of Jesus Christ.