Born on September 21, 1956, Jimmy Gentry is a native of Cadiz, KY. He was graduated from Trigg County High School in Cadiz in 1975 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Religious Studies and a minor in History from Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, in 1979. He earned the Master of Divinity degree in 1982 and the Doctor of Ministry degree in 1993 from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY.

On January 1, 2016, Jimmy became the Senior Pastor of the Garden Lakes Baptist Church in Rome, GA.

Beginning April 1, 2014, he served as a supply preacher in various congregations in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.  He also began writing a devotional called Sunday Reflections that is posted each Sunday via social media and distributed to approximately 300 persons by email.

From September 20, 2015-December 31, 2015 he ministered as Interim Pastor of the Harlem Baptist Church in Harlem, GA, a community just west of Augusta and adjacent to Ft. Gordon.

Jimmy is an Ecumenically-minded Christian Pastor in the Baptist Tradition. Over the course of more than thirty-seven years, he pastored five unique congregations.

He served as Senior Pastor of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Carrollton, GA. His service was thirteen and a quarter years from December 31, 2000 to March 31, 2014. His was the longest tenure of the twenty pastorates in the history of Tabernacle, which was constituted on October 15, 1899.  When he arrived the average tenure was less than five and one-half years.

The other four churches include:
Springfield Baptist Church, Springfield, TN
June 11, 1995-December 30, 2000
Lewis Lane Baptist Church, Owensboro, KY
April 16, 1987-June 10, 1995
Greenwood Baptist Church, Bowling Green, KY
July 1, 1983-April 15, 1987
Emmanuel Baptist Chapel, the mission church of First Baptist Church, Bowling Green, KY
November 15, 1976-June 30, 1983

He also served as Summer Minister to Youth at Edgewood Baptist Church in Hopkinsville, KY from May through August 1976.

Jimmy’s community involvement has included serving on the Carroll County Mental Health Board, the Family Connection Board, and the Salvation Army Advisory Board. He also served on the founding board of Open Hands Ministry in Carrollton.  He was a member of the Carrollton Ministerial Alliance for 15 years, serving a term as its President from 2005-2008.  He also ministered as a Volunteer Chaplain for Tanner Health System and Tanner Hospice.

He is an active member of the Seven Hills Rotary Club in Rome.  He served as President from July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019.

Jimmy participates denominationally through the Baptist History and Heritage Society, Baptist World Alliance, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.  He is also a member of the Academy of Parish Clergy, an international organization of people who are currently serving or have served in a professional role of leadership in spiritual communities of all sizes and in a variety of settings, actively inviting collegiality across faith traditions and among the various styles of ministry.

Some of his publications include:

• Implementing an Alternative Approach to Southern Baptist Denominationalism through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship at Lewis Lane Baptist Church, Owensboro, KY. Unpublished Doctor of Ministry Research Thesis and Project. Louisville, KY: The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1993
• “King Is Still Preaching.” Carrollton, GA: The Times-Georgian, Sunday, January 16, 2005
• “The Future of Missions in One Local Church.” Baptist Heritage, Atlanta, GA: Baptist Heritage Council of Georgia, November 2007
• “Unpublished Study Guide” for Being the Presence of Christ: A Vision for Transformation by Daniel Vestal, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (was previously available on the CBF’s website), March 2009
• Numerous articles, Bible studies, book reviews, and sermons appearing in Preaching, Sharing the Practice, Smyth & Helwys, The Baptist and Reflector, The Baptist Standard, The Times-Georgian, and The Western Recorder, 1985-Present

Some of his hobbies and interest are:

• Jogging and Running 10K Road Races and Half-marathons (when not injured!)
• Watching Team Sports – especially Western Kentucky University Hilltopper Basketball and Football (Go Tops!), University of Alabama Crimson Tide Football (Roll Tide Roll!!!), and College and Major League Baseball
• Working in the Yard
• Reading
• Fine Arts (symphony, jazz, and theatre)
• Music from 1956–1980 (folk, rock, soul)
• Working Out at CrossFit
• Writing (lyrics in particular)
• Doing Nothing

Jimmy married Jacqueline Kay Miller on December 18, 1982. Jackie holds a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education (1983) and a Master of Arts in Reading (1990) from Western Kentucky University.  She also has an Associate of Nursing Degree from Georgia Highlands College in Rome.  She is a Registered Nurse who works in the Infusion Center at Harbin Clinic in Rome.

They are blessed with two adult children:  a married daughter, Emily Kay Browning, age 33, who lives with her husband, Robert Matthew (age 35), in Carrollton, GA, and a son, Nicholas Fisk, age 31, who lives in Atlanta.

On Friday, March 7, 2014, Jimmy and Jackie became grandparents as they welcomed into the world their granddaughter, Charlotte Elizabeth Browning.  On Thursday, August 4, 2016, their second granddaughter, Julia Kate Browning, arrived.  And on Monday, March 18, 2019, their third granddaughter, Margaret Catherine Browning, came into the world!

The Gentrys, along with their nine-year-old Yorkie-Pomeranian mix dog, Truman, live in Rome, GA.