[1] Born in the Province of North Carolina on December 16, 1769, he was the son of Silas Mercer, a Baptist minister who moved his family to Wilkes County, Georgia in the early 1770s.

[2] Silas Mercer founded several pioneer churches and convinced his son to follow him into the ministry.

In 1796, Mercer succeeded his father as pastor of the Phillips' Mill Church, which he served for 37 years.

[6] Mercer was president of the Georgia Baptist Convention for 19 years, from its founding in 1822 until his death in 1841.

Mercer provided a founding endowment and served as the first chairman of the school's board of trustees.