Our Pastor

Pastor Eric Wendel Lee, Sr. has a litany of accomplishments and experiences from various disciplines and fields. A graduate of Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia, Pastor Lee earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in History (1993), and was thereafter deemed by Vanderbilt University Divinity School, Nashville, Tennessee, as their Kelly Smith Scholar. Deeply affected by the plight of the poor and the disinherited, Pastor Lee concentrated in Ethics, Religion and Society at Vanderbilt, receiving honors for his senior project. During this time he served as a Radio Talk Show Host at Fisk University (1994/1995) and labored with the Nashville city government in work force development. Pastor Lee also worked as a Professional Child Advocate in Indianapolis, Indiana and in Atlanta, Georgia.

Subsequent to receiving the Master of Divinity degree on May 10th, 1996, Pastor Lee was ordained into the Christian Ministry on May 11th. Thereafter he continued in pursuit of “the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” via Youth Ministry, Music Ministry and the Preached Word. In July 1994, Pastor Lee joined with the former Meik L. John in lifelong, holy matrimony. The Lord has blessed their union with four children. Their eldest, Eric Wendel Lee II was born in October 1998; daughter Elizabeth Wonder Lee was born in November 2001 followed by their son Emmanuel Warrick Lee, born in July 2003. The Lee family was blessed with the addition of a third son, Ellis Wynton Lee, in December 2009.

In May of 1999, Pastor Lee was called to the Senior Pastorate of the Springfield Baptist Church (SBC) in Covington, Georgia. As a result of his “Proclaiming and Explaining the Gospel of Jesus Christ”, his calling has contributed to an explosive era of church GROWTH at Springfield. A third generational Pastor, Pastor Lee has boldly pursued the Lord and continues to navigate SBC through the intricacies of God’s Vision for qualitative spiritual development and quantitative GROWTH.

Spiritual GROWTH continues to be manifested as church membership has grown exponentially from 162 members to over 7,000. SBC now serves 5 generations with more than 40 ministries. SBC also provides preschool day care services for members and the community alike via the Springfield Christian Academy which opened its doors in May 2002.

Springfield’s GROWTH compelled Pastor Lee to trust God to provide a pathway to expand its facilities. In 2004, SBC purchased 38 acres of land on Sockwell Road, Oxford, Georgia, for future development. In the process of pre-construction, the Lord provided a “ram in the bush” for the continued GROWTH of SBC. In 2005, SBC acquired the 49,000 square feet church facility at 3001 Old Salem Road, Conyers, Georgia, as a temporary home for the church and academy. In 2010, SBC purchased an additional 32 acres on Iris Drive along I-20 for future construction. Once again, SBC continued to grow faster than construction would accommodate. The Lord provided. On Resurrection Sunday, April 8, 2012, SBC conducted its first service on the 43 acre church campus at 1873-1877 Iris Drive, its new permanent home. The official purchase was completed on December 18, 2013.

Pastor Lee has served as a board member for several community organizations that include: Hands on Newton, Newton County High School Council, Faith Works of Newton County, One Voice of Newton County, Equity Council of Rockdale Public School System, Newton County Tomorrow, IMPACT, United Rockdale Summit, Light House Village of Rockdale County and the Rockdale County United Way.

Pastor Lee and his wife are 2007 graduates of Leadership Georgia. In 2008, Pastor Lee was recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of Atlanta’s 100 most influential pastors. That same year, he was honored by the 14th Annual Gospel Choice Awards as a 2008 Chosen Pastor. Pastor Lee is a lifetime member of the Morehouse College National Alumni Association. joined the Executive Council of the Hampton University Minister’s Conference. Understanding the necessity of education and preparation, Pastor Lee returned to the academy as a Doctor of Ministry candidate in the Redemptive Leadership track at the Gordon-Conwell Theological School.