Donald McCall “Mac” Brunson Jr. (born September 20, 1957) is an American Southern Baptist pastor, author, and preacher.
He is the senior pastor of Valleydale Church in Hoover, near Birmingham, Alabama. Before that, he led First Baptist Church Dallas and First Baptist Church Jacksonville, two of the best-known pulpits in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
Brunson is known for expository preaching, books like God Is For You, and a 2003 term as president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference. This bio covers where he is now, his health, his pay, his books, and his sermons.
Mac Brunson at a Glance
| Personal | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Donald McCall Brunson Jr. |
| Known as | Mac Brunson |
| Born | September 20, 1957 Greenwood, South Carolina, USA |
| Age | 69 (as of September 2026) |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Debora “Debbie” Claire DeVore Brunson |
| Children | Courtney, Trey, and Wills |
| Grandchildren | 16 (per his author biography) |
| Siblings | Youngest of three children |
| Education | |
| College | North Greenville College (associate degree) Furman University (B.A.) |
| Seminary | Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary M.Div. (1985), D.Min. (1991), Ph.D. (2021) |
| Honorary degree | Doctor of Divinity, Dallas Baptist University |
| Ministry | |
| Title | Senior Pastor |
| Church | Valleydale Church, Hoover (Birmingham area), Alabama |
| Denomination | Southern Baptist |
| Since | July 22, 2018 (first Sunday at Valleydale) |
| Earlier pulpits | First Baptist Dallas (1999 to 2006) First Baptist Jacksonville (2006 to 2018) |
| Websites | valleydale.org, inlight.org |
| Career | |
| Books | 6 books plus a workbook |
| Net worth | No verified figure |
| Salary | About $300,000 reported at First Baptist Jacksonville (2009). Current pay is not public. |
Where Is Pastor Mac Brunson Now?
Mac Brunson is the senior pastor of Valleydale Church in Hoover, Alabama. He began preaching there on July 22, 2018.
The church leadership page and a May 2026 podcast page still list him as senior pastor.
He has not retired. He preaches most Sundays, records short devotional series, and speaks at pastor events.
He also serves as an adjunct professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Early Life and Education
Birth, Family and Childhood
Brunson was born in Greenwood, South Carolina, a small town. He was the youngest of three children. He helped in his father’s retail furniture store and played football in high school.
He became sure of his faith at age 12 during a summer camp run by his church. That moment set the course for everything that followed.
Education and Degrees
Brunson chose the ministry during his freshman year at North Greenville College, where he earned an associate degree.
He then finished a B.A. at Furman University in Greenville.
He studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. There he earned a Master of Divinity in 1985 and a Doctor of Ministry in 1991.
He added a Ph.D. from Southwestern in 2021. Dallas Baptist University also gave him an honorary doctor of divinity.
Ministry Career
Early Pastorates in South Carolina, Virginia and North Carolina
Brunson led churches in South Carolina first. He then pastored South Norfolk Baptist Church in Chesapeake, Virginia.
From 1992 to 1999, he served Green Street Baptist Church in High Point, North Carolina.
His peers noticed. He served as president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina from 1997 to 1999.
First Baptist Church Dallas (1999 to 2006)
In 1999, Brunson became senior pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas. The pulpit had once belonged to W.A. Criswell, and O.S. Hawkins held it before Brunson.
He also served as chancellor of Criswell College, a school tied to the church.
In 2003, he was elected president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference. That is a yearly gathering of Southern Baptist pastors held before the denomination’s annual meeting.
His Dallas exit came fast. In January 2006, he asked the congregation to pray over a life-changing decision. Reports of a Jacksonville call leaked before he could tell his people himself, and he said so from the pulpit.
Baptist News Global noted that First Baptist Dallas had not lost a pastor to another church in more than 100 years.
Robert Jeffress took over the Dallas pulpit in 2007. Other big Dallas-area pulpits include Fellowship Church, led by Ed Young Jr.
Mac Brunson at First Baptist Jacksonville (2006 to 2018)
Brunson led First Baptist Church Jacksonville for 12 years, from February 2006 to May 2018. He replaced Jerry Vines, who preached his last sermon there on February 7, 2006, after more than 23 years.
The church voted on Brunson on February 19, 2006. Baptist Press called it the first pastoral vote in more than 65 years.
Before that, the church ran on co-pastors, starting with Homer Lindsay Sr., then Homer Lindsay Jr., then Vines.
Growth and Notable Projects
The Florida Baptist Convention listed several gains under his watch. They included First Baptist Academy, a school that was adding a high school in fall 2018.
They also included a south campus in St. Johns County, a renovated sanctuary, and higher giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for missions.
Reports from 2018 put the congregation near 10,000 members. Brunson preached to at least 6,000 people each Sunday. The church also hosted the SBC Pastors’ Conference in 2009.
He stayed active in city life. In 2006, he joined the mayor, a congressman, and a senator at a Memorial Day ceremony. In 2007, he called on residents to pray against crime at the Day of Faith.
Today, Jacksonville is also home to Joby Martin, who leads The Church of Eleven22.
Why Did Mac Brunson Leave First Baptist Jacksonville?
Brunson resigned on April 29, 2018, saying he and his wife felt God was ending their time in Jacksonville. He told the church he and Debbie had sensed this for six or seven months. He preached his last sermon on May 6, 2018.
The move surprised the congregation. Seven months earlier, he had said he hoped to stay at least five more years. He also told the Florida Times-Union that he had been getting slower and had needed help for 11 and a half years.
The church addressed rumors directly. It said no scandal existed and that no person or group asked him to leave. Heath Lambert, a seminary counseling professor, had joined as co-pastor in September 2017 and took over the pulpit.
Mac Brunson at Valleydale Church
How He Came to Valleydale
Valleydale Church in Hoover called Brunson as pastor on May 20, 2018. That was just three weeks after his resignation. The church had run a 21-month search. “This is a God move,” Brunson said after the vote.
He preached his first official sermon there on July 22, 2018. He moved from a megachurch pulpit to a congregation of about 1,000 members. Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, cheered the news on social media.
Ministry at Valleydale Today
Brunson has kept a full schedule in Alabama. He earned his Ph.D. in 2021, released God Is For You in 2023, and led the video series Wisdom 101: Walking with Jesus in a Wacky World for Grace Ministries. Valleydale also runs Mornings with Mac, a 15-morning study of Psalms 120 to 134.
Birmingham has a crowded church scene. Chris Hodges leads Church of the Highlands, the state’s largest congregation, only a short drive away.
Mac Brunson’s Three Big Pulpits Compared
| Church | City | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Baptist Church Dallas | Dallas, Texas | 1999 to 2006 | Followed O.S. Hawkins. Also chancellor of Criswell College. Robert Jeffress followed him. |
| First Baptist Church Jacksonville | Jacksonville, Florida | 2006 to 2018 | Followed Jerry Vines. About 10,000 members reported in 2018. Heath Lambert followed him. |
| Valleydale Church | Hoover, Alabama | 2018 to present | Called after a 21-month search. About 1,000 members reported in 2018. |
Mac Brunson Sermons and Preaching Style
Brunson preaches verse by verse through books of the Bible. This is called expository preaching. He talked about that approach on Ben Smith’s podcast View From the Pulpit, covering Bible study, sermon prep, and lifelong reading.
He told Preaching magazine in 2011 that he studies seven days a week. He also told young pastors not to read every frown in the pew as a sign they are about to be fired. He said he wished he had trusted Jesus with that stress sooner.
Where to Watch or Hear Mac Brunson Sermons
You can find his messages in four places:
- The Valleydale Church website, which posts Sunday sermons by date and Scripture, such as the September 4, 2022 message Stand Alone from Philippians 1:27-30
- The Valleydale Church Sermons podcast on Apple Podcasts, with episodes from 2018 onward
- A Mac Brunson Sermons playlist on YouTube
- Inlight Ministries, which shared his Jacksonville-era messages by broadcast and podcast
He has also spoken at Southwestern Seminary chapel and contributed to the DTS Voice from Dallas Theological Seminary. A Preaching and Preachers Institute episode covers his reflections on 35 years of ministry.
Mac Brunson Books
Brunson has written six books, plus a workbook. Here they are in order:
- The Miracle You’ve Been Searching For (2004, Moody Publishers)
- Why Churches Die (2005, B&H Publishing Group, with Ergun Caner)
- The God You’ve Been Searching For (2005, Moody Publishers)
- The New Guidebook for Pastors (2007, B&H Publishing Group, with James W. Bryant)
- Paralyzed by Fear or Empowered by Hope: A Fresh Look at Psalm 23 (2010, NavPress)
- God Is For You: Learning to Trust God’s Wisdom Through Life’s Crises (December 12, 2023, Invite Press)
God Is For You and the Workbook
God Is For You is his best-known recent book. His publisher says it grew out of the most difficult season of his life. It teaches readers to slow down in a crisis and lean on God’s wisdom instead of fear.
The book has ECPA bestseller status, and each chapter ends with questions and prayers.
Brunson wrote that a person in crisis must decide “God is big enough to handle the situation.”
A companion God Is For You Workbook followed. His children Courtney, Trey, and Wills contributed stories to it. Brunson does not name the crisis behind the book in the sources reviewed, so this guide does not guess.
Theology, Beliefs and Ministry Philosophy
Brunson is a Southern Baptist and a Bible-first preacher. His teaching stresses trust in Scripture, evangelism, and missions. He has joined mission work in more than 10 countries.
He supports the Institute for Creation Research. In 2009, the group handed out about 6,000 books and magazines on creationism at the Pastors’ Conference held at his Jacksonville church.
In May 2010, he urged Southern Baptist pastors to back the Great Commission Resurgence plan. He framed it as a way to slow the drop in church membership.
Other SBC leaders with wide platforms include J.D. Greear, a former SBC president.
Personal Life
Brunson is married to Debora Claire DeVore, known as Debbie. She has spoken at women’s events at Valleydale, including a luncheon during his 2018 call process.
They have three grown children, Courtney, Trey, and Wills. Brunson’s author biography lists 16 grandchildren.
Earlier reports gave lower counts, such as 10 in mid-2018 and 11 in May 2018, because the family kept growing.
He describes himself on social media as a pastor, husband, father, and grandfather.
Mac Brunson Illness: Is He Sick?
No credible report says Mac Brunson has a serious illness. The question likely comes from his sudden 2018 resignation, which set off guesses.
On May 7, 2018, he told the Florida Times-Union that his health was fine. He has kept a full preaching, teaching, and writing schedule since then.
If a health update ever appears, it will come from Brunson or Valleydale Church, so check those first.
Mac Brunson Salary and Net Worth
Salary
Press reports in 2009 put his First Baptist Jacksonville salary near $300,000. Brunson said at the time that he was one of the lowest-paid megachurch pastors in the SBC. Critics, including the blogger behind FBC Jax Watchdog, argued the total package was higher.
His pay at Valleydale Church is not public.
Net Worth
There is no verified net worth for Mac Brunson. Some sites print a number, but none show tax filings, property records, or financial disclosures. Those figures are guesses.
What is documented is short. He earned a church salary, and he earns book royalties and speaking fees that are not public.
Baptist pastors also file no public disclosure of personal wealth, so any specific figure should be treated with caution.
Criticism and Controversies
The FBC Jax Watchdog Dispute
The best-documented dispute began in 2007, when a longtime member, Tom Rich, started an anonymous blog called FBC Jax Watchdog. It questioned Brunson’s leadership and pay.
In 2008 and 2009, a police detective on the church’s security team helped get Rich’s name through a subpoena.
The church then issued trespass warnings to Rich and his wife, who had been members for more than 20 years.
Rich sued. In 2010, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office paid him $50,000 to settle a separate claim. His defamation suit against the church and Brunson settled in April 2012 on private terms.
On April 1, 2012, Brunson apologized from the pulpit for calling Rich “obsessive compulsive” and a “sociopath.”
Supporters of Brunson saw a pastor defending his church from attacks. Critics saw an unwise use of police and legal power against a member.
The 2012 City Ordinance Fight
In 2012, Brunson spoke against Jacksonville Ordinance 2012-296. The bill would have added sexual orientation and gender identity to the city’s human rights protections.
He wrote an opinion piece in the Florida Times-Union against it, and the bill failed in an August 15 vote. His church later honored the council members who voted no.
The 2018 Resignation
His abrupt exit in 2018 drew scandal rumors. The church denied them in writing. No public record in the sources reviewed shows a scandal behind his departure.
Influence and Legacy
Brunson’s reach comes from his pulpits, his books, and the pastors he mentors. He held two of the most watched Baptist pulpits in America, and he led the SBC Pastors’ Conference in 2003. Pastors such as H.B. Charles Jr. have interviewed him and called him a faithful, powerful preacher.
His book Why Churches Die still turns up in pastor reading lists on church health. His later work, God Is For You, reaches everyday readers who are going through hard seasons. Many seminary leaders endorsed it, including David S. Dockery and Erwin Lutzer.
Awards and Recognition
Brunson has no major public awards on record. His recognitions are academic and denominational:
- Honorary doctor of divinity from Dallas Baptist University
- Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (2021)
- President of the SBC Pastors’ Conference (2003)
- President of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (1997 to 1999)
- Chancellor of Criswell College during his Dallas years
- ECPA bestseller status for God Is For You
Interesting Facts About Mac Brunson
- He helped run his father’s furniture store as a boy.
- He decided on ministry in his first year of college.
- He left Dallas after seven years, the first time in more than a century that pastor left that church for another.
- Jacksonville’s vote on him was its first pastoral vote in over 65 years.
- He found a new pulpit just three weeks after resigning in 2018.
- He earned his Ph.D. in his sixties.
- Howard Hendricks of Dallas Theological Seminary praised his book The God You’ve Been Searching For as “a drink of cool water for thirsty souls.”
Mac Brunson Timeline
- 1957: Born September 20 in Greenwood, South Carolina.
- Age 12: Becomes sure of his faith at a church summer camp.
- 1985: Earns a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Seminary.
- 1991: Earns a Doctor of Ministry from Southwestern.
- 1992 to 1999: Pastors Green Street Baptist Church in High Point, North Carolina.
- 1997 to 1999: Serves as president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
- 1999: Becomes senior pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas.
- 2003: Elected president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference.
- February 2006: Called as senior pastor of First Baptist Church Jacksonville.
- 2009 to 2012: Faces the FBC Jax Watchdog dispute and apologizes in April 2012.
- September 2017: Church votes to add Heath Lambert as co-pastor.
- April 29, 2018: Announces his resignation.
- May 6, 2018: Preaches his last sermon in Jacksonville.
- May 20, 2018: Valleydale Church calls him as senior pastor.
- July 22, 2018: Preaches his first Sunday at Valleydale.
- 2021: Earns a Ph.D. from Southwestern Seminary.
- December 12, 2023: Releases God Is For You.
- 2026: Still serving as senior pastor at Valleydale Church.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mac Brunson
Where is pastor Mac Brunson now?
Mac Brunson is the senior pastor of Valleydale Church in Hoover, Alabama, near Birmingham. He started preaching there on July 22, 2018, after leaving First Baptist Church Jacksonville. Church pages and a May 2026 podcast page still list him as senior pastor.
Is Mac Brunson still a pastor?
Yes. Mac Brunson is still a working pastor. He preaches at Valleydale Church, records devotional series like Mornings with Mac, writes books, and speaks at pastor events. He has not announced a retirement.
Why did Mac Brunson leave First Baptist Jacksonville?
Brunson said he and his wife felt for six or seven months that God was closing their time in Jacksonville. He resigned on April 29, 2018, after 12 years. The church said no scandal was involved and that no one asked him to leave.
Does Mac Brunson have an illness?
No credible report says Mac Brunson has a serious illness. In May 2018, after rumors followed his resignation, he told the Florida Times-Union his health was fine. He still preaches and teaches on a regular schedule.
What is Mac Brunson’s salary?
Reports in 2009 put Brunson’s salary at First Baptist Jacksonville near $300,000. He said then that he was among the lowest-paid megachurch pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention. His current pay at Valleydale Church is not public.
What is Mac Brunson’s net worth?
No verified figure exists for Mac Brunson’s net worth. Websites that list a number do not show tax filings or financial disclosures. The only documented pay figure is a salary of about $300,000 reported in 2009.
What books has Mac Brunson written?
Brunson wrote The Miracle You’ve Been Searching For (2004), Why Churches Die (2005, with Ergun Caner), The God You’ve Been Searching For (2005), The New Guidebook for Pastors (2007), Paralyzed by Fear or Empowered by Hope (2010), and God Is For You (2023). A God Is For You Workbook followed.
Where can I watch or hear Mac Brunson sermons?
Sunday sermons are posted on the Valleydale Church website and on the Valleydale Church Sermons podcast. Older messages from his Jacksonville years appeared through Inlight Ministries. A Mac Brunson Sermons playlist also exists on YouTube.
Who is Mac Brunson’s wife?
Mac Brunson is married to Debora Claire DeVore, known as Debbie. They have three grown children, Courtney, Trey, and Wills, and 16 grandchildren according to his author biography.
How old is Mac Brunson?
Mac Brunson was born on September 20, 1957, in Greenwood, South Carolina. He is 69 years old as of September 2026.
Who replaced Mac Brunson at First Baptist Jacksonville?
Heath Lambert replaced Mac Brunson. The church added Lambert, a seminary counseling professor, as co-pastor in September 2017, and he became senior pastor after Brunson left in 2018.
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