Leadership – Mount Vernon Baptist Church

THE FIRST FAMILY AND LEADERSHIP

Mount Vernon Baptist Church is blessed with strong, seasoned, and faithful leadership through Reverend Dr. Rodney K. Turner and First Lady LaNett Stanley Turner. Together, they represent spiritual guidance, compassionate service, public leadership, and a deep commitment to the work of Christ and the people of God.

REVEREND DR. RODNEY K. TURNER

Reverend Rodney Kirk Turner was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Rufus and Betty Turner. He is a product of the Atlanta Public School System and a graduate of Frederick Douglass High School. He attended the historic Morehouse College, where he studied sociology and criminology. While at Morehouse, he became a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and served as president for two years. Rev. Turner furthered his biblical education at Carver Bible College and Beulah Heights Bible College. In May 2015, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Carver College in recognition of his years of service in substance abuse recovery, outreach ministry, and community transformation throughout Georgia and beyond. He was licensed to preach in February 1990 and ordained in January 1995 at Antioch Baptist Church North by Reverend Dr. C. M. Alexander. While serving at Antioch, he worked for more than seventeen years as an associate minister and as Antioch’s Substance Abuse, AIDS, Prison Ministry, and Outreach Coordinator. He also directed Antioch’s first recovery residences for men and women, Ananias House and Ruth’s Place. Rev. Turner is the founder of Product of the Power Ministry, a nationally recognized Christ-centered recovery ministry, helping men and women overcome addiction and spiritual bondage through biblical teaching and a practical recovery model.

He has authored six books addressing how to overcome sin and addiction from a biblical perspective, and many churches and ministries across denominational lines have used his materials as models for their own recovery work. His service extends across civic and community spaces as well. He has served on the Governor’s AIDS Task Force, the SCLC Wings of Hope Anti Drug Taskforce, the Fulton County Street Team, and as a consultant and life skills counselor with Clark Atlanta University and the Fulton County Judicial System through Project Redirection. He has also worked with juvenile offenders in DeKalb, Cobb, and Fulton Counties and has served for over twenty years as a chaplain for the Fulton County Jail Division. Rev. Turner has taught recovery classes in the urban ministries department at Beulah Heights Bible College, served as a faculty member of the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education, and taught for twenty four years in the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia Congress of Christian Education. He has also served as a lead columnist for Recovery Solutions magazine. His honors include the Atlanta Dairy Association Movers and Shakers Award, Antioch Baptist Church North Man of the Year and Community Service Award, Antioch Urban Ministries Mighty Faith Award, Concerned Black Clergy Community Service Award, Gospel Choice Chosen Award, Rainbow PUSH God’s Trombone Award, recognition by the Apex Museum, and the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for National and Community Service. In 2019 he was chosen to serve on the Mayor’s Task Force to Reimagine the Atlanta City Detention Center as a Center for Equity, and in 2023 he served as the Homecoming Vesper Hour preacher at the Martin Luther King International Chapel at Morehouse College. With over thirty five years of Christ-centered outreach and recovery ministry, Rev. Turner continues to lead Mount Vernon Baptist Church with wisdom, humility, conviction, and a heart for the disadvantaged, the hungry, and the homeless.

FIRST LADY LANETT STANLEY TURNER

First Lady LaNett Stanley Turner is a native Atlantan and the youngest of nine children born to Archie and Ethel Stanley. She accepted Christ at the age of ten, fully understanding her commitment to faith and discipleship. She attended Center Hill Elementary, West Fulton High School, and St. Anthony Catholic School. She later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and also studied at Harvard University in the John F. Kennedy School of Government in Public Policy. She pursued additional study in Christian Counseling at Carver Bible College. During her early years, she was active in student leadership, political campaigns, and media. She modeled for Rich’s Department Store and local fashion designers, served as a host and reporter on WXIA TV Channel 11’s Our Show, worked on campus television in college, and served as a copy clerk and student reporter for the Knoxville Journal. She later worked as a news reporter for the Atlanta Daily World and as a production intern for WTBS Channel 17 Turner Broadcasting.

At just twenty two years old, LaNett made history when she was elected to the Georgia State Legislature, becoming one of the youngest African American women elected to serve in that role at the time. She defeated a twenty year incumbent and, after only six years in the General Assembly, was elected by her peers to the powerful leadership position of Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus. She also shared history with her sister Pamela as part of the first and only legislative sister team in the United States at that time. During her twenty three year legislative career, she championed issues affecting senior citizens, healthcare, economic development, environmental justice, education, workers’ rights, youth partnerships, and faith based after school opportunities. She served on major committees including Rules, Ways and Means, Ethics, Telecommunications and Public Utilities, Agriculture, Education, Economic Development and Tourism, Defense and Veteran Affairs, and Special Rules. After retiring from public office in 2009, she devoted more time to family, ministry, and service. She served for over four years as Director of the Mount Vernon Baptist Church Daycare Academy and now serves as Parent Liaison at B.E.S.T. Academy High School in Atlanta. At Mount Vernon, she works faithfully beside her husband, especially in nurturing women, encouraging girls, supporting families, and helping others encounter Christ through practical ministry and compassion. First Lady Turner’s favorite scripture is Proverbs 3:5 and 6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy path.” That spirit of faith, wisdom, and steadiness is evident throughout her life and service. Together, Reverend Dr. Rodney K. Turner and First Lady LaNett Stanley Turner provide Mount Vernon Baptist Church with leadership that is spiritual, visionary, community rooted, and deeply committed to serving this present age.

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Together, Pastor and First Lady Turner help lead Mount Vernon with a heart for worship, a love for people, and a vision for strong ministry in Atlanta and beyond.