Our Leadership

Matt Petty has been leading church ministries since 1997 and has seen thousands of students and adults give their lives to Jesus and begin to serve God. Matt joined the Pastoral team of Burnt Hickory in July of 2001 as the Student Pastor.

For 18 years Matt has given leadership to the RADIATE students and staff team that walks with middle school, high school, and college-aged students here at Burnt Hickory. Matt has been a key leader in student ministry here in this community as well as in the state of Georgia and nation. His love of the next generation has been on display consistently within and outside the walls of Burnt Hickory.

Matt is a native of Cobb county, and one of his desires as Senior Pastor is to see all people of his home in West Cobb and Paulding County know Jesus, serve Jesus, and for the church to be a place of love and healing that Burnt Hickory has been since its beginning. 

Matt is married to his college love, Melissa, and has two boys Blake and Dalton. If not doing ministry at BHBC, you can usually find the Petty family on a sports field somewhere in Georgia or enjoying all things outdoors. Matt has a Bachelor's Degree from the University of West Georgia in Business Finance, and Masters from Liberty University in Theology.

Marty considers himself a country boy from the mountains of North Georgia, a Bulldog, who studied Business at UGA. Upon graduation, Marty used his MBA in a successful career as Director of a large Atlanta-based corporation. After 16 years, however, he felt God calling him to vocational ministry in the local church. With a passion for seeing people experience a growing life in Christ, Marty has served as Executive Pastor at Burnt Hickory since 2004.  In that role, he works alongside the pastors, leading the ministries and staff of the church to reach our community and beyond. He and his wife, Becky, enjoy leading marriage and parenting classes, as well as young couple’s small groups.  They have 3 children, Matt, a State Farm agent in Kennesaw, who along with his wife, Laura, have Marty and Becky’s 3 granddaughters. Their son, Chris, works at Equifax, in Atlanta, and daughter, Stephanie, works with QGenda, as well as being a wedding photographer here in Atlanta.  Marty and Becky, together, enjoy tennis and spending time in family activities. You might also see Marty out in a trout stream, or working out a deal with Becky to try out a new BBQ dive, in return for going to an antique store with her!

Carey Amos is a native of Louisiana where he began his journey in ministry early in life. Carey studied music at The University of Louisiana at Monroe and received a degree in Music Theory and Composition. Carey’s passion is to see people have a Christ-Centered life and to use the power of music and worship to experience the love and grace of God. Carey and his wife Shelley have three beautiful children.

Alan has served at Burnt Hickory since March 2019. His heart for Adult Ministries is rooted in a desire to lead people to become disciple-makers and to live missionally in every area of life.

Prior to joining the Burnt Hickory team, Alan served as a State Missionary with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board (2000–2019), focusing on Sunday School, Discipleship, and Church Administration. He also served in eight churches as an interim Minister of Education and Administration, and for 15 years held staff roles in churches across Georgia and North Carolina.

Alan and his wife, Paula Chapman Folsom, were married in 1987. They are the proud parents of three grown children and five grandchildren. Their son Luke and his wife Jacque have four children — Isaiah, Judah, Eli, and Naomi. Their daughter Kelly is married to Andrew Snow and teaches second grade at Chalker Elementary in Kennesaw. Their youngest, Curtis, and his wife Morgan live in Athens, GA, and welcomed their first son, Rhett, in May 2025.

Alan holds a Doctor of Ministry in Evangelism and Church Growth from the Billy Graham School at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity with Christian Education from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia State University. A Georgia native, Alan grew up in Jackson and now resides in Dallas, GA.

Brian grew up right here in Marietta, and even attended Marietta High School. From there he attended LaGrange College and graduated with a degree in Christian Education. While at LaGrange College he met a cute little co-ed named Susan and after a year of dating asked her to be his wife, and she said YES! Following LaGrange College he attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas and graduated with his Masters Degree in Religious Education. Brian came to Burnt Hickory Baptist Church after serving churches in Conyers, Georgia and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Brian and Susan have two girls, Abby and Samantha, who are in college.

Chip Paul has been the Middle School Pastor at BHBC since September 2007. Chip is married to Laurie Paul (Middle School Teacher) and has 3 children, Joshua, Abbie, and Sterlin.  He loves hunting, fishing, outdoors, and Disney. 

Chip has been serving in youth ministry for 21 years with 16 of them being middle school specific. He has a strong desire for partnering with parents to come along side them during these difficult but very influential times of their early teens life. He is also very passionate about helping middle school students navigate through this time of life and grow spiritually into a strong follower of Jesus.