Profiles in Religion – Don Runion, Senior Pastor, Mount Vernon Baptist Church

Senior Pastor Dr. Don Runion's office is interspersed with books about religion but also a wide array of history books and  a copy of the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, among others. When you lead a congregation for more than 36 years, you need to have a varied set of skills.

Runion leads Mount Vernon Baptist Church on Nuckols Road, which has more than 2,500 members. The journey to that congregation size wasn't easy.

The church is more than 150 years old. Its first permanent building opened in 1890 and was located at West Broad Street and Parham Road in Henrico. When Runion arrived in 1981, it counted between 200 and 300 members.

With Central Virginia’s economic success came businesses, which led to the commercialization of the region and the surrounding area. This success had businesses surrounding Mount Vernon, which to Runion wasn't ideal.

“Churches by their nature reach a residential flock,” he said.

In 1995, Runion and his flock took a chance and sold their land to relocate – an act he describes as the church’s rebirth.

“It’s the nature of faith," he said. "We had no funding. We had nothing to guarantee success except our feeling that God was leading us. I can remember walking the land in our first phase and saying, ‘Lord, where are we going to get the money to build the building?’”

The relocation to Nuckols Road was one of Mount Vernon’s biggest challenges. Church officials had to start from scratch and buy everything. After they sold their land in 1995, they spent two years meeting at Hermitage High School.

When Runion was looking for a new location, he paid attention to the roads. He studied the state plan, talked to developers and thought hard about how the area would look in the coming decades.

He picked out the 46-acre plot of land right off Interstate 295, in Twin Hickory, that borders Wyndham. Since then, the church and its people have experienced a total of four phases of growth.

“It’s a wonderful place to live. Henrico is kind of a paradise, taken as a whole,” Runion said, “I’ve lived in seven states, not including confusion, and this is the place I’ve most enjoyed. It’s a beautiful place to raise a family.”

Runion describes his generation of church members as pioneers for taking that chance.

He attributes the success of the organization to its adherence to simplicity, its emphasis on people and the gospel.

“We have a concern and a passion for meeting people’s needs and empowering people to serve and it shows throughout the organization,” Runion said.

Runion describes Easter Sunday as the Christian Super Bowl. Mount Vernon Baptist will begin its celebration a week early, on March 25, with an Easter egg hunt. It will host more Easter-related events throughout the week, until April 1.

For details about Mount Vernon Baptist Church, call (804) 270-6600 or visit mvbcnow.org.