Many ministers learn quickly that even the best seminary education doesn’t equip them for every situation they’ll face in the field. Thankfully, folks like Lamar Barden have been called by God to help fill those gaps, using their gifts and talents to provide a unique ministry to ministers.
Lamar fondly remembers growing up in smaller Southern Baptist churches, led by pastors who had been trained in Southern Baptist seminaries. He met his wife, Carolyn, at church, and he committed himself to serve the local church thanks to those early experiences.
“We always had good, solid Baptist pastors,” Lamar recalled. “As I look back over those years, we had a pastor from Southwestern Seminary, followed by someone from Southern Seminary, followed by somebody from Southeastern Seminary. We didn't play favorites because we knew all the seminaries produce very good pastors. And, when I was in high school, I felt called to be a pastor. That’s just what I believed God wanted me to do.”
Lamar’s first taste of ministry came not long after he and Carolyn were married. Moving to Stone Mountain in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, they plugged into the bus ministry at Lucerne Baptist Church. That’s also where he made the connection that would lead him to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
“We knew we were going to go to seminary somewhere, but the pastor of that church was from New Orleans,” said Lamar. “So, when I finished college at Georgia State University, he brought me down to the seminary to let me see it. He introduced me to it. At that point, there was no need to go visit any other.”
So, in 1971, Lamar and Carolyn quit their jobs in Georgia, loaded up their mobile home, and moved to New Orleans to attend NOBTS. With a newborn daughter and no connections on campus, they began their new adventure, trusting God each step of the way.
During that first year, Lamar worked odd jobs, mostly as a painter and security guard. Carolyn found a position at the Chevron Oil Company. Eventually, he was called to serve as an associate pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Chalmette.
“My senior year at the seminary, the pastor of that church had some health problems, so I filled in and did all the preaching that year,” he said. “But, after graduation, we were called to a church back near Stone Mountain, and I stayed there five years.”
While the Bardens were back in Georgia, the connection with New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary did not evaporate. Around that time, Lamar began working on a doctoral degree from another seminary. But he switched to NOBTS when he learned that the seminary had begun offering a D.Min. program at its Atlanta campus. Through the extension program, he found an affinity with other students—men like him who were serving full-time, but still felt a need to expand their knowledge and abilities for God’s glory.
Lamar ended up pastoring for nearly two decades, but he also developed a set of skills that God was beginning to use in the lives of other leaders. He discovered opportunities to help ministers navigate the often confusing waters of personal finances and tax law. He knew this was not something most seminaries were teaching, so the need was great. Over time, he felt God’s call to move out of pastoral ministry and to work full-time guiding ministers and churches as a financial professional.
“I had been doing some conferences for the Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (now GuideStone),” Lamar recalled. “Finally, I decided that’s what God wanted me to do, so we launched out. I got a master’s degree in financial services from the University of Pennsylvania and became a financial advisor with a specialty in clergy tax law. And we created a company called Peachtree Tax Advisors.”
For more than three decades, Peachtree Advisors has continued to grow and make a difference in the lives of ministry leaders. While the company also serves the general public, about half of their annual tax clients are pastors and other church staff members. The firm also helps churches develop compensation packages for prospective pastors—plans that protect the church, while also being fair to the candidate.
“I also do a lot of conferences for Baptist association meetings,” he said. “I work with churches to train their financial secretaries, their treasurers, and their staff on compensation and tax matters.”
Lamar says he’s been retired from financial planning work for almost a decade now—sort of. While his roles have changed, he hasn’t really slowed down. He still believes God has a plan for his financial ministry, so he keeps moving forward to help leaders and congregations. He knows that the need for quality financial and tax advice is still real, and it’s a need he and his associates can help meet.
“I didn’t really retire,” he said with a smile. “I just changed gears. What we do is so unique. Nobody else is really doing it because it’s clergy tax law. It’s different. Once a minister leaves seminary, he goes out to that first or second church. Now he's in the real world, and he's dealing with issues that maybe he didn't understand much when he was in a classroom.”
Through Lamar’s ministry, he has been able to support a broad range of individuals and groups. From non-profit organizations to denominational leaders to megachurch pastors to the layperson in the pew, he continues serving as a solid resource in an arena of ministry and life where wisdom and integrity are priceless commodities.
In his “retirement,” he’s even gotten the chance to move back behind the pulpit.
“Along the way, I have filled in at a couple of churches who needed a pastor, as an interim,” he said. “And I’ll fill in sometimes when a pastor calls on Saturday night and says, ‘I’m sick, and I can’t go tomorrow.’ I get to do stuff like that.”
Lamar also gets to stay connected to NOBTS through his work with the Foundation Board. He had developed a professional relationship with former seminary trustee Nelson Price when Dr. Price was serving as pastor of Roswell Street Baptist Church. That led to the Bardens’ first Foundation Board meeting.
“He said that he thought I could help the seminary, so he invited Carolyn and me to come down to a meeting,” Lamar shared. “That was probably 20 years ago, and we’ve been with the Foundation Board ever since. We’ve really enjoyed it because we like being able to help the seminary in many different ways.”
The Bardens have come a long way since parking that mobile home on the seminary campus in 1971. Through the years, they’ve seen God use them to be His hands and feet in a variety of ways. From pastoral ministry to financial advising, they have moved wherever God has led them. The contexts might change, but their overall mission remains the same.
“We just wake up every day seeing who we can help,” Lamar said.
