Meet the Alumni Board: Rev. Steve Wood

Rev. Steven D. Wood (1986), Vice-Chair of the North Georgia Conference Council, received an M.Div. from Asbury Seminary, Kentucky campus

The Rev. Steve Wood, and his wife of twenty-three years, LeAnne, have three daughters and a son: Lauren, Lacey, Layne, and Steven, Jr.  Their family resides in Alpharetta, Ga, and they enjoy water sports, golf, gardening, snow skiing, baseball, basketball, and bike-riding

Steve served for 7 years as the Community Spiritual Director for the Northwest Georgia Walk to Emmaus movement. Overseas, Steve has preached in and led mission trips to Israel, Jordan, Haiti, Brazil, Nigeria and Mexico. In 1994 Steve was chosen to be the launching Community Spiritual Director for the Tres Dias movement in Moscow, Russia. He has a passion for missions and evangelism in making disciples of Jesus Christ and growing and cultivating Christian leaders for global impact.

 After receiving God's call into the ordained ministry, Steve enrolled in Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky in September 1983. While there, he served as a chaplain at the V.A. Medical Center in Lexington and later as the Youth Pastor of the First UMC of Georgetown, KY.

He received the Master of Divinity degree graduating in May 1986. Five days later, he was appointed as the pastor in charge of the Red Oak UMC in College Park, Georgia where he served for 3 years. Under his leadership the Red Oak became a multi-racial congregation and was recognized as the Conference Small Membership Church of the Year in 1989.

In June, 1989, he was appointed to plant a new church in Douglas County which has become the New Covenant UMC. Starting with 16 interested people the church grew to over 600 members in just seven years. In addition, the congregation built a multipurpose facility and added an activities center complete with gymnasium. The church was recognized as the fastest growing congregation in the Southeastern Jurisdiction in 1991.

Steve was appointed to the Sugar Hill UMC in Gwinnett County on January 1, 1997 as the Senior Pastor where he served for ten years. Under his leadership, membership more than doubled, eventually surpassing 2000. Sugar Hill UMC is distinguished by one of the highest worship attendance/membership ratios in all of Methodism at 70%, with the majority new members joining by profession of faith in Christ, rather than transfer from other churches.

In June 2007, Steve was appointed to Mount Pisgah United Methodist Church in Alpharetta, the third largest church by worship attendance in the entire denomination. He also serves as Vice-Chair of the North Georgia Conference Council on Finance and Administration, and was one of 14 clergy delegates elected to the world gathering of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church representing the North Georgia Conference in April 2008.

In addition to his pastoral role, Steve serves on the boards of Mount Pisgah Christian School, the Summit Counseling Center, and The Beacon of Hope Women’s Center, North Georgia Conference Finance and Administration, The Confession Movement, and The Leading Edge Large Church Pastors Network.

Steve was born and raised in Sandy Springs, Georgia in North Fulton County. He graduated from Ridgeview High School in 1976 and the University of Georgia in 1980 with a BBA in Finance. From 1980-83, Steve was employed as a manufacturer's representative in the office products industry before answering the call to ministry.