Dr. Aaron Weaver named BHHS Executive Director
July 12, 2024
Baptist communicator and historian Dr. Aaron Weaver named Executive Director of Baptist History & Heritage Society
MACON, Ga. — Baptist communications leader and historian Dr. Aaron Weaver has been selected to serve as the part-time Executive Director of the Baptist History & Heritage Society (BHHS), a 84-year-old group devoted to helping Baptists discover, conserve, assess and share their history.
Weaver succeeds longtime Georgia pastor Dr. John Finley, who led BHHS for seven years until his recent retirement in June.
BHHS is the leading scholarly organization for Baptist historians in America and is supported by Baptist individuals, churches, colleges/universities, state organizations and other partners. Founded in 1938, BHHS seeks to integrate scholarship into congregational resources in the form of publications, printed and digital resources, conferences, seminars, dialogue and special events.
Weaver has served as Communications Director for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship since 2013, where he will continue to help lead the organization’s communications, marketing and resource development efforts, including as editor of fellowship! magazine. He is also an adjunct professor of Baptist history at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology in Atlanta.
Weaver is the author or editor of numerous articles and five books, including James M. Dunn and Soul Freedom (Smyth & Helwys), CBF at 25: Stories of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (Nurturing Faith), A Baptist Vision of Religious Liberty & Free and Faithful Politics (Smyth & Helwys), Different and Distinctive but Nevertheless Baptist: A History of Northminster Baptist Church (Mercer University Press), and CLAYPOOL (Mercer University Press).
A graduate of Baylor University, Weaver received his Ph.D. in Religion and Politics and studied under noted historian Dr. Bill Pitts. His dissertation focused on the environmental attitudes of American Baptists and Southern Baptists. He is also a graduate of the University of Georgia (B.A.) and previously served on the staff of BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty) in Washington, D.C., and the Office of Congressman John Lewis in Atlanta. He served as a BHHS Board Member from 2014-2018.
Weaver is the co-founder of the CBF Environmental Stewardship Network and a past member of the Commission on Creation Care of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA). He currently serves on the BWA’s Commission on Religious Freedom and Commission on Baptist Heritage and Identity.
Weaver and his wife, Alexis, live in Tucker, Ga., with their three children: Oliver (12), Miriam (10) and Hannah (5). They are members of Smoke Rise Baptist Church.
BHHS Past President Christopher Moore, who chaired the search committee, expressed his excitement for the selection of Weaver.
“The Search Committee is excited to have Aaron Weaver as the next Executive Director of the Baptist History & Heritage Society,” said Moore, who is an instructor of history and religion at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, N.C. “His academic and professional background make Aaron uniquely qualified for this position. Committed to Baptist heritage and the continued health of our organization, we believe he is posed to lead the Society into a bright future.”
Weaver shared his gratitude to the committee and excitement to lead the Society into its next chapter.
“I am deeply honored to be chosen to lead the Baptist History & Heritage Society and follow in the footsteps of John Finley,” Weaver said. “Fifteen years ago, as a Baylor University graduate student, the Society provided me with a supportive community that nurtured my passion for Baptist history and identity. I am exceedingly grateful for those ministry-shaping opportunities. The Society’s commitment to bridging the worlds of the academy and congregation continues to inspire me, and I look forward to the exciting journey ahead helping share the Baptist story.”
Weaver follows Dr. John Finley in the Executive Director role, who was recently honored at the Society’s annual conference in May for his seven-year tenure and immense contributions. In 2017, Finley came to BHHS from the historic First Baptist Church of Savannah, Ga., where he served as senior minister for nearly 25 years. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Finley graduated from Vanderbilt University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he received his Ph.D. in Baptist History and was a Teaching Fellow under renowned Baptist historian Walter B. Shurden.
A 45-plus year member of BHHS, Finley’s distinguished tenure in Baptist life includes numerous denominational and interfaith leadership roles with organizations such as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Baptist World Alliance (BWA), National Council of Churches and Christian Churches Together in the USA. He is a current member of the BWA Commission on Baptist Heritage and Identity.
“Since 2017, John Finley has led BHHS with a steady hand and a clear vision,” Moore said. “In particular, his guidance during the tumultuous years of the pandemic was invaluable. His dedication to the preservation of Baptist history runs deep, and we remain truly grateful for his service.”
Finley expressed his appreciation for the Society and the opportunity to serve as its executive director for the past seven years.
“I first joined the Baptist History & Heritage Society in 1977 as a second-semester M.Div. student in Walter Shurden’s Church History class. The Society has provided me with longtime friends and mentors, a love for Baptist history, and the honor of a lifetime in being asked to serve as its executive director. I will be forever grateful.”
BHHS’ longtime office manager Jackie Riley is also retiring from her role. Since 2010, Riley has managed the society’s finances, copyediting and administrative responsibilities from Macon, Ga. She retired in 2024 as senior copy editor for Nurturing Faith Journal and Nurturing Faith books. For 20 years, Riley served as managing editor of Baptists Today/Nurturing Faith.
Moore offered his deep appreciation to Riley for her 14 years of service to the Society.
“Jackie Riley has served the Baptist History & Heritage Society faithfully as both office manager and copy editor,” Moore said. “From preparing conferences, budgets and journals to countless efforts behind the scenes, Jackie has accomplished more in her tenure than many will ever know. We will miss her greatly.”
Riley said she is grateful for the experience serving the society since 2010.
“As I transition to retirement mode, I’m grateful to have engaged with a wide range of Baptists for the past 14 years,” she said. “Employment with the Baptist History & Heritage Society has allowed me to combine my organizational skills and vocational experiences into a skillset that has included customer service, financial management, copy editing and publication management. I have been privileged to work with two outstanding executive directors, Bruce Gourley and John Finley, and now to assist Aaron Weaver as he ‘learns the ropes.’ I wish Aaron the very best.”
Learn more and support the work of the Baptist History & Heritage Society at www.thebhhs.org.
Connect with BHHS Executive Director Aaron Weaver at aweaver@thebhhs.org.
BHHS is comprised of an extremely diverse group more than 600 Baptists located throughout North America including American Baptists, Canadian Baptists, Cooperative Baptists, National Baptists, Primitive Baptists, Seventh Day Baptists, Southern Baptists and many others. Members also include several dozen Baptists in other countries and on several continents. To read more about the work of the Baptist History & Heritage Society, visit www.thebhhs.org.