Briarwood Presbyterian Church of Birmingham has announced that its new senior pastor has been approved by the regional governing body and is in the process of moving to Birmingham.

The Rev. Dr. John Scott Redd Jr., president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., was approved July 8 by Evangel Presbytery meeting at Briarwood.

The presbytery conducted a theological examination before Redd’s nomination was approved.

“Dr. Redd’s answers were biblically and theologically sound, concise, clear, and well-informed, and the examination concluded with a unanimous vote in favor of Dr. Redd as Briarwood’s next pastor,” the church announced.

Redd will assume the pulpit and preach his first sermon on Aug. 3.

The congregation had voted in favor of Redd on June 15, pending approval by the presbytery. He was nominated by the pulpit search committee in May.

Redd is only the third full-time senior pastor in the 65-year history of Briarwood.

The Rev. Frank Barker founded Briarwood Presbyterian in 1960, first opening its doors in a Cahaba Heights storefront. He retired in 1999 and died in December 2021 at 89.

During Barker’s tenure the church grew to a membership of more than 4,000, making it one of the state’s churches.

Barker oversaw the construction of a $32 million campus near the Acton Road exit on Interstate 459 in 1988. A decade later, a $5.5 million expansion was added.

Barker also oversaw the creation of Briarwood Christian School and helped found the Birmingham Theological Seminary.

He also had a significant national role in the rise of the conservative Presbyterian Church in America, which was formed in the early 1970s and became one of the country’s largest Presbyterian church organizations.

He was succeeded by the Rev. Harry Reeder III, who was killed in a 2023 car crash. The Rev. Dan Doriani was named interim minister later that year.

Redd grew up in a military family and is a graduate of The College of William & Mary who worked in media consulting before going into the ministry. He and his wife, Jennifer, have five daughters.