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Two local pastors — one white, one black — will continue their tradition of swapping pulpits in the name of unity and fellowship on Sunday.

Pastor George Bailey and Pastor Greg Morris have been switching churches in July and December for six years on their church anniversaries to bring the different communities together.

Bailey, a resident of Hogansville and a former city councilman for the city, pastors White Oak Grove Baptist Church, a majority Black church in Senoia, Georgia, but on Sunday, July 6, he will deliver the sermon at First Baptist Church of Hogansville, where Morris normally preaches.   

The tradition of swapping the ministers from a majority Black church with one from a majority White church has been seen as a move toward racial reconciliation, but if you ask Morris and Bailey, it’s just two friends preaching at each other’s churches. 

The idea originally came about when Morris suggested to Bailey that he come preach at his church for his church anniversary. Bailey agreed to do so and invited Morris to do the same for his church anniversary in December.  

“[The tradition] has been a lot of fun and a lot of people come out and mix the cultures,”  Bailey said. “Since we’ve been doing this, I think it gets bigger every year. People love it.”

When the two originally agreed to the swap, they didn’t really consider the potential racial implications, but it’s been great for both congregations. It wasn’t initially their goal to promote diversity with the church swap, but the annual tradition has brought both churches closer together.

“The 11 o’clock hour on Sunday morning is the most racially segregated hour in America,” Bailey said. 

Morris will preach at White Oak Grove in December as part of their “December to Remember” series, Bailey said.

It’s not just the man behind the pulpit who will change on Sunday. The most noticeable difference is the music. The pastors bring their choirs with them for a very different musical experience.

“We certainly weren’t the first churches to do something like this,” Morris said. “It’s just two buddies preaching that God has used to open up doors of love and acceptance. That’s what it is.”  

The pastor switch will be Bailey’s first since his recent heart transplant in December.

“With everything happening in the world, we still need to come together, even though we have a different flavor and different cultures,” Bailey said.