Leadership transition announced at Church of the Highlands

Church of the Highlands has announced a leadership transition.According to a news release, current Lead and Founding Pastor Chris Hodges will step into a new role to help grow Highlands College, which is a four-year institution for students pursuing full-time ministry.The church announced Mark Pettus, the current president of Highlands College, will transition to the role of lead pastor.“Mark is my spiritual son and a product of Highlands,” said Hodges. “I’m excited about where we’re going. I’m not retiring or burned out because I have more energy and vision than I’ve ever had. The transition of roles we’re announcing allows me to work even harder to grow Highlands College and empower others for ministry.”The church said Pettus and his wife Jill joined Highlands more than 20 years ago.“Highlands is our home, and the core of our passion is the work of God taking place here,” Pettus said. “It’s so humbling to follow in the footsteps of my mentor and my pastor. Pastor Chris instilled values and a vision into Highlands, and I can’t wait to see how his impact will multiply as he pours into more and more leaders at Highlands and around the world. Because God is always good, we know the best is yet (to) come.” Birmingham-based Church of the Highlands has 26 campuses across Alabama and Georgia.Coming Together: Project CommUNITY