Meet Our Director of Missions: Dr. Marc Bewley
A healthy association requires leadership that understands the unique heartbeat of the local church, the challenges of the mission field, and the vital necessity of cooperative ministry. Dr. Marc Bewley brings over four decades of diverse ministry experience to the New River Baptist Association, having served as a church planter, local pastor, international missionary, and associational leader.
A Lifetime Shaped by Cooperative Ministry
Marc’s ministry began on the front lines of church planting in West Branch, Michigan, where he was appointed by the Baptist State Convention of Michigan and the North American Mission Board (NAMB). This early experience cemented a lifelong conviction: local churches thrive when they are backed by a supportive network.
From Michigan to a revitalization mission in Roselawn, Indiana—where he also stepped into his first associational leadership roles as Moderator and a State Executive Board member—Marc has witnessed firsthand how cooperative fellowships protect pastors from isolation and multiply a church’s regional impact.
Deepening Roots in the Word and the World
In 1992, God called Marc to pastor in Chattanooga, Tennessee. During this season of pastoral ministry, he deepened his theological roots, earning both a Master’s and a Doctorate in Ministry from Covington Seminary, where he later had the privilege of teaching next-generation leaders in Homiletics, Hermeneutics, and Biblical Surveys.
His passion for the Great Commission eventually led his family to Bogotá, Colombia, in 1999. As an international missionary, Marc specialized in unity and collaboration—successfully merging two English-speaking congregations, ministering to street children, launching a Bible study inside the U.S. Embassy, and partnering with fellow missionaries to plant new works.
Why the Association Matters Today
Having previously served as a Director of Missions in the metro Detroit area, a Missions Pastor at Dallas Bay Baptist Church in Chattanooga, and a pastor in Birmingham, Alabama, Marc’s journey has come full circle here in Southwest Virginia.
“An association is not a corporate bureaucracy,” Dr. Bewley notes. “It is a frontline spiritual lifeline. Having stood in the pulpits of isolated mission churches and coordinated global works on foreign fields, I know that pastors cannot run this race alone. The New River Baptist Association exists to ensure that no pastor stands isolated, no church faces transition without a sister congregation stepping into the gap, and our collective resources are maximized to push the Gospel forward.”
As Director of Missions, Dr. Bewley is dedicated to walking alongside our area pastors, guarding doctrinal integrity, and helping our historic mountain churches write their next chapter of faithful ministry.
Connect with Dr. Bewley
Marc is here to serve your congregation, counsel search committees, and support our regional pastors. Please feel free to reach out directly:
- Cell: 205-300-7787
- Email: pastorbewley@gmail.com
Cell number is 205-300-7787
New River Baptist Association 