The Oklahoma Baptist Pastors’ Conference is put together by local church pastors for the encouragement and benefit of other local church pastors. This year’s theme was “Well Done,” drawn from the words of Jesus in Matt. 25:23: “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”
Held on Nov. 11 prior to the 118th Annual Meeting of Oklahoma Baptists at Moore, First, this year’s Pastors Conference highlighted the concept of faithfulness in five key areas: family, preaching, leadership, longevity in ministry and personal life. These themes were explored in depth through sermons, testimonies and focused times of reflection and prayer.
This year’s conference brought together respected voices in Baptist life, including Mark Clifton, known for his passion for church revitalization and replanting and heart for small church pastors, who brought a wealth of experience to the conversation on leadership and longevity in ministry. Clifton’s love for pastors and churches in decline resonated with many who face challenges in their congregations.
Jared Wilson, a leading author and advocate for Gospel-driven ministry, also spoke. Wilson’s works, such as The Prodigal Church and Gospel Wakefulness, have challenged many pastors to keep Christ at the center of their preaching and ministry. His session on the personal life of the pastor was a great encouragement for weary pastors serving faithfully in the trenches. Along with these national figures, Oklahoma Baptists were encouraged through stories of God working in the lives of pastors through testimonies and messages rooted in God’s Word.
New to this year’s conference was the presentation of the J.B. Rounds Award, which honors a bi-vocational pastor who has demonstrated exceptional faithfulness in their ministry. Named in honor of J.B. Rounds, one of the founders of Falls Creek and leader of Oklahoma Baptists, the award highlights the importance of recognizing those who labor in smaller or underserved churches while also maintaining other careers.
“The goal of this award is to highlight a pastor who has devoted his life to bi-vocational ministry and earned the ‘well done’ as a good and faithful servant,’ said Pastors’ Conference President Luke Holmes, pastor of Duncan, Immanuel. “The Oklahoma Baptist Pastors’ Conference is created by pastors for pastors, so this year we wanted to take the time to honor those who are doing the work in the trenches. That’s how the J.B. Rounds award for the bivocational pastor of the year came about.
Pastors’ Conference President Luke Holmes presents Boggs with the 2024 Bi-Vocational Pastor of the Year award.
“It was conceived to honor someone who has a long track record of ministry; somebody who has made a career out of being bi-vocational. I have found that these pastors often serve in the smaller churches that make up the majority of Oklahoma Baptists and even the entire Southern Baptist Convention.
“These men are not often asked to speak at conferences or anywhere else, but they exemplify what it means to be an Oklahoma Baptist. They often don’t get a lot of honors and recognition, as they are too busy even to attend meetings or other events. But without them, many of our churches would fall apart. They love the Lord, love their church and will do anything to help somebody know Jesus.”
Receiving the inaugural award was David Boggs, pastor of Butcher Pen Mission, which is located on Butcher Pen Creek in southeastern Johnston County at the northern end of Lake Texoma, northeast of Madill and Kingston west of Kenefic. Boggs is a retired carpenter who helped build houses, hanging drywall and doing trim work.
“We are in a very small, poor community with a large drug problem,” said Boggs, who also battled a drinking problem in his early years before being saved on Jan. 1, 1975. He was baptized at Milburn Church where, in 1982, he surrendered to the pastoral ministry and was licensed and ordained. Before Butcher Pen, he served as
pastor at Madill, Grace (1987-93) and Centrahoma (1993-2005).
“God told me to look at people for what they can be and not what they are. There are a lot of hungry children in the area. We share the Gospel Sunday morning and feed almost 20 kids Sunday night. Several of them were saved at Falls Creek this year.”
“I could think of nobody else who exemplifies this spirit better than David Boggs,” Holmes said. “Even though he was paid meagerly by the church, he often gave out of his own funds to help others. He serves by cooking meals, leading in construction projects and doing anything for anybody who needed it. He often goes without so those he is ministering to can have what they need. It doesn’t matter to David if there are five people, 50 people or 500 people in the church. He treats them all the same and will preach with all the passion and love he has for the Lord.
“David is actively involved in the association, serves in Vacation Bible School, the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, Falls Creek and so many other little things that help make Oklahoma Baptists strong. He accompanied the youth as a sponsor to Falls Creek for almost 50 years before health problems prevented him from continuing.”
While he was at Grace church, Boggs spent many Sunday afternoons preaching and leading many inmates to the Lord at the Oklahoma Dept. of Corrections facility in Madill.
“He has served at churches of all sizes, but he’s just happy shepherding people and sharing the Gospel,” Holmes concluded. “David always plants a big garden, and then takes the produce from that to people in the community and others in need, such as the homebound and widows. He is known to show up at church with a box full of tomatoes, potatoes, turnips, green beans, okra, squash and whatever else you can think of. He works hard in the garden and then shares with others. It’s very indicative of the way he lives his life as a pastor.”
