John C. Ray

Teaching & Preaching Pastor, Woodlawn Baptist Church, Charlotte

Senior Director of Advancement & Communications, Shepherds Theological Seminary, Cary

Personal Testimony

Pastor Ray was born in Western NC and has lived in the Charlotte area most of his life. Growing up the grandson of Reverend Elzie Ray, a mighty preacher of God’s grace, and being the nephew of the late Reverends Harold, Grover, and Tommy Ray afforded him great examples of preachers and shepherds who were dedicated to preaching God’s Holy Word. This rich heritage has inspired John in countless ways in the ministry.

However, his greatest Christian hero – other than Jesus Christ Himself – is his late father Carrol Ray. John’s father, a humble mechanic, was the epitome of integrity, character, and Christian contentment, living out his faith in daily droplets of love, grace, and mercy. He was tremendously strong yet meek, as well as the most unselfish man John has ever known. He impacted John’s heart and life in remarkable ways.

John’s early years were molded and tenderly nurtured by his loving mother, Mary Ann, a homemaker who courageously fought cancer for nine long years. She graduated to meet her King face-to-face at the young age of forty-two, when John was age fifteen.

During his mother’s battle with cancer, John witnessed the fight God can place in a mother’s heart to live and the devotion He can place in a father toward his dying bride and his children. John has an older sister and younger brother, and he remains close to both. In many ways, John’s sister, Janet, filled the mother role in John’s life. John is thankful for such strong family roots.

John was saved as a young teenager at Camp Caswell after hearing the powerful personal testimony of Mrs. Dot Ellis while they sat together on a porch swing. Dot was the pastor’s wife and had no children of her own, often affectionately calling John “my John.”

Despite John never remembering a time when he doubted that there was a God or the truths taught by the Bible, later that same evening, with Dot’s sweet voice replaying in his heart, he went forward to make public his profession in Christ as Savior. John was soon baptized at Westview Baptist Church by Reverend Ralph Ellis. Little did John know that, thirty-five years later, God would call John to serve at Westview.

John was married in October 1999 to the love of his life, Elizabeth.

They are blessed with two beautiful and talented daughters who serve the Lord in many ways.

John’s three girls are gifted artists, often serving the Lord through their a Capella singing in worship services, special events, funeral services, and whenever John prompts them to sing for strangers that the Lord brings into their path.

The Ray family loves to serve the Lord together.

A sample of one of the Ray Girls songs is provided below: (click on the Play button below)

Before transitioning to fulltime pastoral ministry, John’s bi-vocational ministry was accompanied by extensive international business operations, initiated by John working as a part-time material handler. The Lord blessed John tremendously in his career as he managed businesses in forty-eight US states and operations throughout Europe, China, India and South America in capacities that included Chief Executive Officer for the last twenty years.

During John’s business career, the Lord taught him many critical lessons as He revealed talents and gifts that could also be invested in the ministry, while also revealing how weak John’s commitment was in far too many areas of his Christian life. These experiences certainly speak of God’s longsuffering and how God tenderly molds His children to walk through the doors that He has prepared.

John also learned the truth of the old saying, “Big doors swing on small hinges.”

During a business trip to launch a new entity in Pune, India, John came face-to-face with a call on his life for mission work as he watched two small, orphaned brothers washing off in a mudhole outside his beautiful hotel, soon joined by a mother and her tiny newborn baby.

A seed was planted in John’s heart for the people of India and he knew that his place was in the mudhole and not in the luxury of the fine hotel.

Jail Ministry

John initially submitted to the call into the Gospel ministry after hearing the testimony of Mr. Chuck Colson, by serving the Lord for thirteen years in a jail ministry. As the Lord started to move in John’s heart about serving as a teacher in the jail, John “reminded” God during a pleading prayer that he didn’t know a lot about teaching the Bible, other than a few VBS stories.

As John prayed, he felt as if the Lord put His arm around him and spoke into his fearful heart the words, “It is My Word, and I will teach it to you.” John arose with the blessed assurance that God would speak with him heart-to-heart & mouth-to-mouth – a promise that God abundantly fulfilled.

It was in the jail ministry where the Lord began to incubate a passion for verse-by-verse Bible study and an expository approach to the teaching of God’s Word. It was also there that God nurtured a love in John’s heart for those in the most desperate and hopeless situations. The harvest of precious souls that John witnessed being brought into the family of God through His love and grace remains an immeasurable gift from God.

God taught John many lessons in the jail ministry, built on a foundational truth that people must know how much you love them before they will care how much you know.

Bible Teaching Leadership

God unexpectedly ended the jail ministry aspect of John’s call and placed him in a Sunday School leadership role. John continues to serve joyously in this capacity and has been blessed to share God’s Word with many hurting and hungry hearts. The Bible-teaching ministry eventually grew to include three to four sessions each Sunday in three different locations. During this time, God developed a Bible discipleship ministry and built a strong fellowship with many believers who remain part of John’s life and ministry.

Evangelism

John served as a lay leader in Evangelism and Revival for years, traveling throughout the Southeast with various teams. During one weekend event, the Lord brought over two hundred lost souls to the saving faith in Jesus Christ. John considers this experience a heavenly treasure and was left in awe by what the Lord accomplished through the power of His Word and Holy Spirit.

John witnessed God prompting people to come to Christ, unprovoked by man, to the saving knowledge of Jesus.

During these years, God taught John about how little man has to do with the lost coming to Christ. These lessons developed an absolute trust in the Word of God and Holy Spirit to reach and transform a person’s heart. John is reminded by these experiences that he is simply a vessel to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the results are up to the Lord.

One of John’s favorite sayings is, “I’m just a nobody, telling everybody, about Somebody, who can save anybody.”

Missions

John served on the board of directors of an international mission ministry for two years, while also teaching and preaching in India, Nepal, and Cuba over a period of six years. John’s heart was transformed by the people of India and Nepal, especially by their orphans. John continues to be involved in missions in various geographies. John also served in building various Christian schools in Mexico.

A few mission pictures are provided below:

Finny Matthews, John Ray, and Brother Abraham

John served at Westview Baptist Church in Charlotte for five years in a bi-vocational role. During John’s service at Westview, John met Pastor Simon, the shepherd of the Dega Christian Church, Charlotte. John’s heart was so deeply moved by his devotion, humility, and service, which includes an impressive children’s and youth ministry – the bedrock of both Westview’s history and mission.

Pastor Simon - A Man of God

It became clear to John and the Westview family that the Dega Christian Church should become the community church and owner of the church properties. John was blessed to be part of the transition for both churches; in addition, Westview sponsored children ministries at Woodlawn Baptist that continue to bless many children - including the onboarding of a part-time Director or Children’s Ministry in 2023.

A picture of some of the young souls touched by the Westview and Dega Christian Church partnership is provided below:

John began serving at Woodlawn Baptist Church, Charlotte, in November 2018 and was confirmed unanimously in February 2019. He is tremendously blessed by the loving flock at Woodlawn Baptist who love God’s Word and their pastor and who faithfully serve the Lord.

John is so thankful to have such great Elders and Deacons at Woodlawn that allow him to serve in various ministries while covering needs within the congregation and in Pulpit Supply area.

Training

Certified Christian Financial Planning Counselor

&

Certified Premarital & Marriage Assessment Facilitator

Over the years, John completed various professional developmental programs at the following universities:

Penn State, Liberty, Harvard, Duke, while also completing

Dr. Adrian Roger’s “Pastor Training Institute” program.

John was trained in Biblical Studies / Theology & Church-Based Counseling (“Go Certificates”) at

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

John holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from

Shepherds Theological Seminary, Cary, NC

where he proudly serves on staff as Senior Director of Advancement & Communications