Can you share about your ministry calling and career?

I felt God’s call to preach in 1980. I committed to the calling and pursued my education at Oklahoma Baptist University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I began my vocational service in ministry in 1982 as a student pastor for a brief period of time. During my time at the seminary in Fort Worth, I started my first pastorate in 1988, serving part-time at a small church south of the metroplex. Following graduation at SWBTS I moved to Oklahoma to pastor the Martha Baptist Church. I moved from Martha to Calvary Baptist in Lindsay, Oklahoma, then to the Regency Park Baptist Church in Moore, Oklahoma, to the Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and then I moved to the First Baptist Church in Altus, Oklahoma in 2002 where I continue to serve as the senior pastor to the present time.

Can you tell us about your family?

I married my wife Sharla in 1984. We were blessed with two daughters, Whitney and Allison. Both our daughters are grown and married now with families of their own. Whitney is married to Trey Graham, the pastor at First Baptist Church of Midwest City, Oklahoma. Allison is married to Lee Gregg and lives in Burkburnett, Texas. Whitney and Trey have two children, Hudson and Hadley. Allison and Lee have two children, Landree and Cohen. Our four grandchildren are the joy of our lives.

Your church congregation is making a Gospel impact. Can you talk about some of the ways the Lord is at work in your church and community now?

We are blessed with wonderful lay people who want to serve the Lord and share the Gospel faithfully. Our church has a strong presence in the student ministry through the schools, sports and other events in which the students are involved. We have an incredible prayer ministry that literally reaches around the world. There is a group involved in prison ministry through the local prison where they share the Gospel every Sunday afternoon to the inmates. Our children’s ministry impacts many lives every year through camp, Vacation Bible School, Mother’s Day Out program and other outreach events in the community. Our church is well connected to Altus Air Force Base and has the privilege of ministering to military personnel and their families.

You have consistently served in the ministry. What are some keys to longevity and consistency in ministry?

God’s call to preach was powerful and unforgettable. When I have felt discouraged or tempted to quit, I reflect back on that moment of God’s call. I remember that I made a commitment to obey God’s call on my life. I have discovered God’s sustaining grace in seasons of trial and discouragement. The key to it all, in my opinion, is to die to self every day and seek to be full of the Holy Spirit and focused on God’s Kingdom. The more humble we stay, the more God lifts us up.

Your congregation is a leader in missions, ministry and giving. Why is it important for your church to support the Cooperative Program?

We believe in the power of cooperation. We Southern Baptists certainly have our faults, but our forefathers were surely in tune with the Spirit when they created the Cooperative Program. What an amazing privilege it is to give, as a church, to support the work and ministry of Oklahoma Baptists, the International Mission Board, and the North American Mission Board, as well as the SBC. I remind our church that we are participating in global missions each time we give to the Cooperative Program.