Dr. Clay Hallmark

Dr. Clay Hallmark began serving at First Baptist Lexington on February 1, 2016. He is only the 6th pastor at FBC since the year 1900. Since coming to FBC Lexington, the average Sunday School attendance has doubled the church has baptized well over 350+ people. Currently, Dr. Hallmark is in his second unanimously elected term as the President of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and is the past Chairman of the Tennessee Baptist Missions Board. He also serves on the Board of Trustees and Regents at Union University, as well as on the Board of Trustees at Carson Newman University.

Dr. Hallmark came to Lexington after pastoring almost 15 years at the First Baptist Church of Marion, Arkansas. He served from 2009-2011 as the President of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention being elected to two unanimous terms. He also served as President of the ABSC Executive Committee and as the 2007 ABSC Pastor’s Conference President. While in Arkansas Dr. Hallmark served on the Board of Trustees at Ouachita Baptist University, as well as on the SBC Executive Committee.

Dr. Hallmark holds the Doctor of Ministry degree from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (96), a Master of Divinity degree from Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham, AL (92), and a Bachelor of Arts from Union University in Jackson, TN (89).

Dr. Hallmark is married to Leslie who is a native of Lexington, TN. Leslie holds a BS in Business Administration and Accounting from Samford University in Birmingham, AL, and she presently is a 6th grade Math teacher at Lexington Middle School. They have two grown daughters: Cassie Hallmark Zawacki lives in Lexington Tennessee, is married to Chad. They have two daughters (Dr. and Mrs. Hallmark’s granddaughters), Elizabeth and Natalie. Their other daughter, Kayla Wood, is married to Josh. Kayla is a surgical nurse in Birmingham, AL.