John Charles (JC) Mitchell was a native of Morganton, North Carolina. Before finishing high school he had distinguished himself as a leader. He served as president of his senior class and excelled as a football player. During a youth week emphasis at his home church, Calvary Baptist, he committed his life to the ministry.

During his college years, he served as Youth Director at First Baptist Church Asheville and pastor of Kittrel Baptist Church. JC did his undergraduate studies at Mars Hill College and Wake Forest University.

While attending Southwestern Theological Seminary, he earned a Master of Divinity. During his first year he was called to be the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Quitman, Texas (1950-1952). In his senior year, he was elected president of the Theological Fellowship. In 1978 he earned a Doctorate of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary.

Following graduation from Seminary he returned to North Carolina to serve the First Baptist Church of Clinton (1953-1957). In 1957, he went to the First Baptist Church in Suffolk, Virginia. After nine years in Suffolk he was called to Hunter Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama (1966-1971). His last pastorate was at First Baptist Church in Winter Park, Florida where he served for 21 years. After retiring, JC served for another four and a half years as Director of the Pembrooke Foundation, a church planting ministry in Florida.

Throughout his ministry, JC has participated in local, state, and national Southern Baptist leadership. In addition to numerous committee and program assignments, he served as president of the Florida Baptist State Convention and the Southern Baptist Executive Committee and member of the State Board of missions in three different states.

Missions, evangelism, and church planting were JC's heartbeat. Churches that he pastored averaged more than 100 baptisms a year. JC preached at pastors' and evangelism conferences and crusades across the country and globe (Tanzania, Nigeria, South Korea, India, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Romania and the Ukraine).

JC had a passion to reach people through planting new churches. He led his congregations to establish twenty-five new churches, including three in the Ukraine. During the 1994 Southern Baptist Convention he received the Home Mission Board President's Award for Church Planting.

JC's beautiful wife of many years, Mollie, was killed in a tragic car accident while attending the Southern Baptist Convention in 1993 in Houston, Texas. Before her untimely death, she partnered with him for many years complementing his ministry across the nation and globe. She was an accomplished pianist, composer and arranger of hymns and other music, speaker, and Bible teacher.

JC is survived by his three wonderful children. Sharon is married to Reverend Don Pickerill, pastor in Georgia. They have two married daughters and six grandchildren. John, an attorney in Winter Park, is married to Bonnie. They have four daughters, one son and are expecting a grandchild this Summer. Susan is married to the late Dr. Kevin Chubb, who was a pastor in Florida. They have two sons, one daughter, and two grandsons.

JC's Celebrating Gathering will be at 2pm on June 3, 2023 at First Baptist Church of Winter Park.