The Rev. Dr. Charles Qualls

Denomination: Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF)
Organization: Franklin Baptist Church, Franklin, VA

About The Rev. Dr. Charles Qualls

The Rev. Dr. Charles Qualls is the senior pastor of Franklin Baptist Church in Franklin, VA.

A native of the Atlanta area, Charles was born in 1964. The small rural town where he was raised had roughly 2,400 residents when he was born. Today, it has grown to nearly 100,000. It was on this rare seam—where country meets burgeoning city—that he formed his views on life, church, and Spirit. His undergraduate degree in sociology and management came from the University of West Georgia. Along with an MDiv., he holds an earned doctorate from Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology.

In addition to weekly preaching and teaching responsibilities, the bulk of his ministry is spent walking with individuals and families through life's key passages. Marriage enrichment, pre-marriage work, hospitalization, death, hospice care, and grief are just a few of the sacred moments he serves. Previously, Charles served churches in North Carolina and Georgia in pastoral care and adult Christian education. Interestingly, he has facilitated over 1,600 divorcees through support programs in more than 50 groups. He also estimates that he has worked privately with over 300 couples in multi-week pre-marital counseling or enrichment.

Charles often jokes that he is married to "the world's least likely librarian." Charles and Elizabeth met in seminary, where both of them obtained master's degrees. They have been married since 1991. Elizabeth is the Collection Development Manager for the Blackwater Regional Library System in eastern Virginia.

Among his hobbies are travel (especially cruising), culinary adventuring, and baseball history. He also enjoys reading for curiosity and information rather than for pure enjoyment.

Charles is the author or co-author of ten books, all published by Smyth and Helwys Publishing, Inc.. His works focus on a Christian utilitarian niche. Among his titles are:

- A Hungry Soul: A Collection of Prayers

- Divorce Recovery Ministry: A Guidebook

- Marriage Ministry: A Guidebook

- Lessons from the Cloth: Volumes 1 and 2

The latter three books were co-authored with his dear friend and mentor, Dr. Bo Prosser.

Additionally, Charles shares stories in his beloved Southern fiction series, Bubba-Doo's Stories, available on Baptist News Global. You can also explore Charles Qualls’s latest book offerings on Amazon.

Day1 Weekly Programs by The Rev. Dr. Charles Qualls

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Looking In All the Wrong Places - Episode #4162

Tuesday December 24, 2024
Join us as Rev. Dr. Charles Qualls delivers his thought-provoking sermon, "Looking In All the Wrong Places." Drawing from Luke 2:41-52, Rev. Qualls explores the timeless story of Jesus at the temple and its message for us today. With a creative approach, including a unique radio play dialogue, he reflects on how we often look for Jesus in the wrong places while overlooking where He truly calls us. This episode invites us to deepen our faith, re-center our focus, and follow Jesus into a new year with purpose and clarity.

Appreciated But Not Always Wanted - Episode #4137

Tuesday July 02, 2024
“Appreciated But Not Always Wanted,” Qualls’ sermon for July 7, is based on Mark 6:1-13, the account of Jesus’s teaching in the synagogue in his hometown. “I wonder how we wrestle with disbelief in our faith?” he says. “When a truth comes bursting into our lives whose timing is so bad, so inconvenient that we just don’t want it to be so . . . then we wrestle with our own disbelief.”

Charles Qualls: Two Powerful Stories and a Distraction

Tuesday January 10, 2023
Two of John's disciples asked Jesus where he was staying, which was tantamount to saying, "We want to sit at your feel and be under your formation," Charles Qualls says. Only then did Jesus extend the invitation: "Come and see."

Charles Qualls: Water That Renews Us

Tuesday January 03, 2023
When we are baptized, Charles Qualls says, we aren't just cleansed in some symbolic way. If we are faithful and willing, then we're also anointed into a lifetime alongside Jesus to bring about justice and righteousness here and now.

Charles Qualls: Redeemed, Forgiven, and Adopted

Tuesday July 06, 2021
Charles Qualls says Paul’s good news is that we belong to God as adopted and provided-for children in Christ. The good news doesn’t end there, though - we also can belong to each other.

Charles Qualls: Let Us Go Up to the Mountain of the Lord!

Tuesday November 26, 2019
Dr. Charles Qualls says the vision Isaiah paints in chapter 2 is one of peace—a world we would surely like to live in. But in this era of mass shootings and the threat of war, these words don’t match our reality, and so we yearn to know: when will the Christ child hurry up and usher in such a peaceful time? And we wait...

Charles Qualls: What Is This?

Tuesday January 23, 2018
Dr. Charles Qualls says that the scribes and Pharisees heard Jesus' bold teaching and decided he had to be stopped. But others heard Jesus and opened their hearts and minds, their souls and spirits to the hope they heard in Jesus. “What is this?” they asked.

Charles Qualls: Promise or Warning?

Tuesday January 16, 2018
Mark 1:14-20 contains both a promise and a warning, says Dr. Charles Qualls: A promise that God does not extend to us a calling to participate, as this kingdom is ushered in, without also giving us what we’ll need. But Jesus warns that following him would not always be without its difficulties and its costs.

Articles by The Rev. Dr. Charles Qualls

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Finding Jesus Beyond the Manger: A Reflection for the New Year

Monday December 23, 2024
In this interview excerpt from episode #4162, Rev. Dr. Charles Qualls reflects on the intersection of faith, community, and shared responsibility, exploring how the Gospel story calls us to deeper communal care and spiritual habits. Speaking with Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime, he connects the post-Christmas text from Luke’s Gospel to the importance of seeking Jesus in community and embracing our role within the greater faith body as we move into a new year.