Leadership

Dr. Birchett is a Kentucky native and devoted Wildcats fan. He holds a B.A. in Religion from Georgetown College, a Master of Divinity from Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL, and a Doctor of Ministry in Christian Leadership from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. Dr. Birchett pastored four churches before being called to Second in May 2019 and has been a part of extensive Southern Baptist work, with additional ministry and training. Dr. Birchett is passionate about using his gifts of preaching, leadership, development, and conflict resolution to minister to his congregation and to see people reach greater levels of capacity for the Kingdom. He desires to lead God's people to be a Christ-centered, compelling, cooperating, and compassionate church. Dr. Birchett and his wife, Karen, have three children, Karis, Joshua, and Kirsten.

Jay Hughes grew up in Louisiana. He attended and graduated from Louisiana Tech University with both a Bachelor’s and his Masters of Business Administration (MBA). Jay met his wife, Niki, in college and they have been married for 25 years. Jay is a CPA and was a partner in a CPA firm when they felt God leading them to serve in a different role.  He served at the Missouri Baptist Convention for 10 years before becoming a Pastor at Second in 2012.  They have two beautiful daughters, Katie and Mary Margaret.