Accountant-turned-pastor now leads a growing congregation at The Church at Liberty Park

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People

Being a pastor or in ministry was not always something on the radar for Buck Poole, who in August was called to be the senior pastor at The Church at Liberty Park.

“I had a moment in my life where the Lord was really convicting my heart, but at the time, I had no idea what that meant,” the 42-year-old Poole said.

“I was about six years into my professional career as a CPA, my wife was also in her professional career, and we did not have children at the time. Being called to the ministry did not fit what we wanted, but I remember us having a conviction at church one morning, and that is really where it all started on really having the call to ministry.”

Poole worked 11 years in public accounting before officially answering the call to ministry in 2017.

He initially served as minister of missions and senior adults at CrossPoint Church in Trussville, starting there in March 2018. Poole received his master’s of divinity degree from Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in 2020.

In August 2025, The Church at Liberty Park called him into his first senior pastor role.

“We looked at probably about a dozen or so candidates from all over when we were searching for our next pastor,” said Mike Tracy, who was the chairman of the search committee at The Church at Liberty Park. “We put out a wide net because we were at a critical point in our future. We have grown from about 250 members to about 400 members in the last four years. We are on a good, good track, and we wanted someone who could step in and take us to the next level.”

Tracy said after much prayer and consideration the search committee had whittled down the candidates to three possibilities.

“Buck was on our radar, but we had not formally considered him,” Tracy said. “We went to hear him preach, and we felt like he knocked it out of the park. Plus, I took him to play golf, and you can learn a lot about someone on the golf course. We just started to see how the Lord was clearly showing us that Buck was someone who was the right fit. He is exactly what this church needed, and we are so thankful for him and his family.”

Tracy said Poole chose a very “untraditional” role of a pastor after having worked as a CPA for several years.

“The thing about Buck was he was at a pretty big crossroad where he was on the track to become a partner with his company,” Tracy said. “He was stationed to be very successful and make lots of money in the accounting field, but he followed the call of ministry, and I think that helps with how he relates to our congregation. He is extremely smart, and he can talk to just about anyone, but he knows the Bible, and he loves his people really well.”

EARLY ORIGINS

The Church at Liberty Park was initially founded in 1886 in the Woodlawn area of Birmingham. As Woodlawn Baptist Church, it was a flourishing church for many decades, but by the 1990s, membership was beginning to decline as people were moving to other areas.

In 1994, the church relocated to Liberty Park. Poole is the fourth pastor at the church.

“Our congregation is an interesting mixture of people because you have a part of the congregation that is still in some way connected to Woodlawn and the older traditions of the church,” Poole said. “You then have a newer group that [has] come to the church more recently, and it has honestly been really enjoyable to watch and learn how those groups work together. I would say they all love one another really well, and there is no division, so it really has been a very unique aspect of our church.”

Poole said the congregation currently has about 450 members with an average Sunday worship being about 350 people.

“Liberty Park is a very transient area in the fact [that] you have people move here for a job and there can be a high turnover of people,” Poole said. “We are also seeing this area really grow.”

While ministry was never something he thought was going to be in his life “plan,” it became clear once he surrendered to the Lord’s call, he said.

“I think what I love the most about being a pastor is walking alongside whatever people have going on in their daily lives and being there for them through that,” Poole said. “That can be some of the greatest highs and lowest lows. It is obviously not fun to be there for the sorrows and lowest lows, but it is rewarding work. I also love genuinely preaching and teaching the Bible. I love studying the Bible and preparing to deliver a word that the Lord would like me to deliver.”

LOOKING AHEAD

Poole said the mission of The Church at Liberty Park is to glorify God and make disciples by inviting the community to enjoy fulfilling lives in Christ.

Currently, the church has four goals: worshiping regularly, growing in faith and love for God, serving and going.

“We want people that are maturing in their faith, and it is not about a certain number for us,” Poole said. “We want the people that come to our church to be moving toward living a more fulfilling life and consistently maturing as believers.”

Poole said Liberty Park is in a development stage, with many aspects of the community growing and building on what it already has.

“We want to make sure we are meeting the dynamics of the community around us,” Poole said. “We have a team of people looking at what that may look like.”

Like most jobs, Poole said there are day-to-day aspects that can be hard or challenging, but one thing he has learned is there is a particular weight that comes with being a pastor.

“When you are opening the Bible and saying, ‘This is what I believe God wants you to hear today,’ there is a weight to that,” Poole said. “I remember I preached a sermon one Sunday and there was a member who came and told me later they had made a fairly big decision for their family based on the sermon. It was a moment of realization that people are listening to what you say, and what you say has a real impact on them. That is something that I do not take lightly. I think with any job you are always going to have highs and lows and face challenges, but I have just been incredibly blessed so far to be able to do what I am doing.”

Poole and his wife, April, have two children — a daughter and a son.

Tracy said having Poole and his family join the congregation for the last six months has been a blessing for the church.

“Buck is a great dad and just a fine, fine person in general,” Tracy said. “I am proud to know him and his family, and we can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for our church.”

For more information about the church, visit libertypark.org.