Please welcome Pastor Russ Johnson in his new role with the SDB General Council! Pastor Johnson serves as Pastor of Abiding Love Ministries (Rome, NY) and Interim Pastor of the Verona Seventh Day Baptist Church (Verona, NY). The General Council is the 5-member body representing the SDB General Conference to address Conference matters between delegate sessions of Conference Session–providing creative leadership, collaborative strategy, and supportive encouragement to the mission and ministry of the Seventh Day Baptist General Conference.
Pastor Russ was elected to serve in this role at the SDB General Conference Session recently held in Kenosha, WI. He is filling the seat previously held by Pastor Andrew Camenga (German SDB Church, New Enterprise PA). Pastor Camenga completed his two terms on General Council and is now serving as President-elect of the SDB General Conference.
Introductions
Pastor Russ currently serves as Pastor of Abiding Love Ministries in Rome, NY, and Interim Pastor of the Verona Seventh Day Baptist Church. He previously served as Lead Pastor at Verona (1978–1990) and later as Outreach Pastor, continuing to encourage church growth, revitalization, and planting efforts across the SDB community.
He studied at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1968–1971 while beginning his lifelong partnership with his wife, Jennifer, in 1969. They have been married for 56 years and are blessed with two children and seven grandchildren.
His service to the wider Seventh Day Baptist denomination includes roles on the SDB Council on Ministry (1982–1985), the SDB General Council (1985–1990), and as President of the General Conference (1986). From 1990 to 1998, he served as Director of Extension / National Extension Minister, supporting church growth and development across North America.
In 1998, he launched a successful IT services corporation to provide independent financial support for ministry. In 2023, he transitioned out of business to return to full-time ministry. Since then, his primary focus has been strengthening SDB witness and effectiveness through mentoring, training, and coaching church planters, including formal training as a church planting coach.
SDB General Council
Please visit the General Council page of the SDB website to see all 5 current members of the SDB General Council: Pastor Helmer Umaña, Erin Inabnit, Maura Mazza, Pastor Steve Osborn, and Pastor Russ Johnson. Pastor Steve Osborn (Frontier Church-Carbon Valley, Dacono CO) serves as Chair of the Council and Maura Mazza (Shiloh SDB Church, Shiloh NJ) serves as Vice-Chair.
Photo of the SDB Center by Lexia Stall, SDB Intern.
