By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Senior Pastor Larry Burton resigned the Sunday after Thanksgiving from McArthur Assembly of God Church in Jacksonville, because he had committed “a momentary, unethical act,” he told the congregation.
Associate Pastor Marc Bateman of Austin will take over until the church hires a new senior pastor. He refused to comment on his colleague’s resignation.
Burton had served at McArthur for 26 years. He is a third-generation Pentecostal and his parents were Rev. Lester and Betty Burton.
In 1972, at the age of 17, he attended the Southwestern Assemblies of God Bible College and then transferred to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He completed his biblical studies through Berean Bible College in Missouri.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he arrived at McArthur “when the church was running a handful of people; there were 17 people in our first service. God has richly blessed our lives here at McArthur. We are blessed to pastor the greatest group of people on the planet. They are more than a church, they are a family. I am also blessed to work with some awesome staff.”
Now, more than 1,100 people attend Sunday morning services at the church.
His first pastor position was at Pinnacle Assembly of God in Roland, where he worked from 1984 to 1986.
