Pastor Mary Kay Best
Mary Kay grew up in the Seven Springs area and gave her heart to Jesus at just seven years old. Raised in a hardworking and loving family, she learned the values of faith, perseverance, and service early in life. She graduated from East Carolina University with a BS in Family & Consumer Science, Business, and Education, along with double minors in English and Political Science.
From age 21 to 26, she worked as a legislative secretary in the NC General Assembly before returning home to Seven Springs. There she spent six years in sales and marketing, and later began a teaching career in the Wayne County school system. She taught 8th grade math, Family & Consumer Science (grades 6–12), and 7th grade English/Language Arts.
During her years of teaching—and while raising two children as a single parent—the Lord began to stir a deeper call in her life. She earned a BS in Religion from the University of Mount Olive and served part-time as a children’s director at a local church. About a year and a half later, she experienced a powerful call from the Holy Spirit into pastoral ministry. With her family’s support, she transitioned into pastoring within the United Methodist Church while continuing to teach full-time and working on her Master of Divinity degree.
After five and a half years, Mary Kay resigned from the UMC, believing its leadership was drifting from the authority of God’s Word. She stepped away from teaching to focus on ministry and continued filling in as a pastor wherever she was called. She pursued seminary studies online through Asbury Theological Seminary and Regent University, before pausing in 2017 to help care for her mother alongside her father.
