Rev. Josh Godwin

Minister to Students

My name is Josh Godwin, and I am a lifelong North Carolinian. Raised in the small town of Wade, just north of Fayetteville, I have lived and worked all across this state, from the mountains down to the coast. I love this place, love these people, and love calling it home. In 2013 I graduated from Wingate University with a degree in Religious Studies and English, followed by a Master of Divinity degree from the Wake Forest University School of Divinity in 2016. Along the way I married the love of my life, Alyssa, in 2015 after 6 years together. We’ve been married 7.5 years now, with a 7 year old dog named Tobi and a 4.5 year old son named Maxwell.

Fun Facts

My name is Josh Godwin, and I am a lifelong North Carolinian. Raised in the small town of Wade, just north of Fayetteville, I have lived and worked all across this state, from the mountains down to the coast. I love this place, love these people, and love calling it home. In 2013 I graduated from Wingate University with a degree in Religious Studies and English, followed by a Master of Divinity degree from the Wake Forest University School of Divinity in 2016. Along the way I married the love of my life, Alyssa, in 2015 after 6 years together. We’ve been married 7.5 years now, with a 7 year old dog named Tobi and a 4.5 year old son named Maxwell.

Growing up in church, I began feeling a nudge to ministry when I was a teenager. My grandfather was a minister for more than 5 decades in and around Sampson County, so I had a picture of what doing ministry looked like but didn’t quite understand what it meant for me. It wasn’t until college, when I served all 3 summers with a mission camp called Carolina Cross Connection, that I fell in love with the work of serving and loving others like Jesus. Specifically, I fell in love with working with communities and with young people, helping students make connections between the faith we talk about and the life we live.

Since then, I’ve spent over a decade working with students in ministry across denominations and places. I have led retreats, taken teams of students overseas to serve, invented crazy games to play, and shared in small, holy moments. I’ve learned that those small moments, a shared laugh over a meal or a simple smile, can be just as holy as the most profound prayer. I’m excited about the opportunity to serve alongside the great group of young people at First Baptist and to be part of a fantastic team of ministers. I especially love the connection between this church and this city, one deeply rooted in a shared love of place and people, and cannot wait to serve our neighbors as part of this congregation.