Baptist and Reflector
FAIRFIELD GLADE — Former Tennessee Baptist Convention president Leonard Markham will retire July 30 after 11 years as pastor of First Baptist Church, Fairfield Glade.
The 69-year-old Markham has served six churches in Tennessee as pastor — First Baptist Church, Elk Valley; West End Baptist Church, Knoxville; Ball Camp Baptist Church, Knoxville; First Baptist Church, Sweetwater; Bluegrass Baptist Church, Hendersonville (now Indian Lake Peninsula Church); and FBC, Fairfield Glade. He also served as pastor of one church in Kentucky. His pastoral ministry spans 49 years.
Markham and his wife Debra were honored during a retirement celebration at the church on June 30.
A native of Knoxville, Markham was called into the ministry in 1966 while still in high school. His father, Wayne Markham Sr., was a long-time pastor in the state as well.
Markham is a graduate of Cumberland College (now University of the Cumberlands), Williamsburg, Ky., and holds the master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky.
Markham has been active in the Tennessee Baptist Convention. In addition to serving as convention president in 1993-94, Markham served as vice president and has been a member of the the Executive Board (now Tennessee Baptist Mission Board) and other convention committees.
The Markhams plan on returning to Knoxville following his retirement. He will be the new assistant cross country coach at Farragut High School in Knoxville.
While in Fairfield Glade Markham coached cross country at Crab Orchard Elementary School and worked with runners at both Stone Memorial and Cumberland County high schools, according to the Crossville Chronicle. Markham, who was a collegiate cross country runner, expressed gratitude to FBC for allowing him to coach cross country while serving as pastor. “Our church really bought into the whole idea. … The church saw this as an extension of their mission work,” he told the Chronicle.
