Caleb Cooke
Pastoral Resident
Caleb Cooke, a native of Mount Airy, North Carolina, began at First Baptist in August of 2023. Caleb’s call to ministry is rooted in the sure and present hope of Christ’s resurrection. Caleb believes that hope is central to the Christian faith and is committed to fostering hope in the Church.
Caleb attended Duke University as a Benjamin Newton Duke Scholar and majored in Religious Studies. In hopes to pursue a career in academia, Caleb decided to stay and pursue further coursework in Biblical Studies at Duke Divinity School. During his time at Duke, Caleb presented research at various regional, national, and international conferences such as the Society of Biblical Literature International Meeting in Salzburg, Austria. Caleb recently graduated with a Master of Theological Studies while serving as Director of Christian Education at First United Methodist Church of Henderson, North Carolina, where he first felt his call to ministry.
Caleb moved to Columbia with his wife, Rianna, and their two dogs, Opie and Luca. In his free time, Caleb likes to bake, play board games, and read.