Missionary, Keegan Cullen, who has been collecting winter-themed LEGO village sets since 2009, was enthused to share his collection with others while in the states to rest and rejuvenate before returning to the mission field in 2026. 

“Having an open house for church members was a great opportunity to talk with them and share what we have been doing overseas,” said Cullen. Keegan and his wife, Karmen, shared prayer cards with those who stopped by and had a fun contest for children to search for 10 Star Wars minifigures hidden in the display. The prize for finding all 10 characters being a Christmas-time favorite, a candy cane. 

Also on display was ceramic pottery made by Karmen, something she learned to do in high school and developed a passion for later in college. Her pottery items were works of art with practicality, and included toothbrush holders, spoon rests and travel cups for hot tea or coffee. 

Having been back in the states for six months, the Cullens have enjoyed spending time with family and friends, a welcome opportunity to recover from the homesickness and loneliness that can result from serving in long-term international missions. They have also engaged with the local community by volunteering weekly in the Baptist Collegiate Ministries at the University of West Florida and Pensacola State College. 

As they prepare to return to the mission field, they look forward to “starting fresh with a new set of people who have never heard the gospel,” said Cullen. Going to a city in Spain where around 30,000 unreached college students reside, the Cullens are excited to serve alongside a church plant, where students will have access to a local congregation where they can grow in faith and be discipled. 

Hillcrest Baptist Church already has plans to send summer interns and a mission team to help launch the new college ministry in 2026. “While we expect language barriers and other challenges along the way, we are looking forward to having a great church partnership while we serve on mission in Spain,” said Cullen. 

This year’s diverse, multilingual graduating class reflects BUF’s expanding mission to prepare global Christian leaders. Students from South and Central Florida, along with Haitian, Hispanic, and English-speaking communities, gathered with family, friends, and distinguished guests to celebrate academic excellence, spiritual growth, and the advancement of Christian higher education.

“This historic class represents the heart and future of BUF,” said University President, Dr. Clayton Cloer, “Their accomplishments stand as a testimony to our founding vision and our continued commitment to train leaders who serve Christ around the world.”

Commencement ceremonies highlighted the growth of BUF Global initiatives and celebrated first-generation college graduates, ministry leaders, educators, and professionals equipped to serve in multicultural settings.

Baptist University of Florida extends its congratulations to the December Class of 2025 and looks forward to seeing them impact churches, communities, and nations with their calling and preparation.

For more information, visit www.buf.edu

ORLANDO– First Orlando, a multisite, multicultural church in Central Florida, has launched a new shared leadership model in which three senior pastors will share church oversight and collaborative governance.

The three senior pastors and their new leadership roles are: David Uth, who has served as First Orlando senior pastor for 20 years, is now senior shepherding pastor; Danny de Armas, who has served First Orlando since 2008, is now senior executive pastor; and Trey Hildebrant, who has served most recently as pastor of ministries at 12Stone Church, a multisite church in greater Atlanta, is now newly elected senior teaching pastor.

In their new roles, Uth will embody prayer, presence and pastoral leadership; de Armas will steward operations, ministries and organizational leadership, and Hildebrant will provide pulpit leadership, biblical instruction and doctrinal clarity.

Uth stated that he believes the shared leadership model “lines up more appropriately with Scripture,” citing numerous New Testament passages (Acts 13:1, 15:28, 20:17; Titus 1:5 and 1 Peter 5:1-2) in which early church leadership was built around a plurality of leaders rather than a single leader. The shared leadership model, he believes, also complements the giftedness of each leader.

He said he first became acquainted with the idea of shared church pastoral leadership as a doctoral student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

During Uth’s tenure at First Orlando, the church has grown from one location and two services to six locations and 13 services.

“It’s not the same church,” he said. All measurable church health numbers at First Orlando, such as baptisms, attendance and giving, are on an upward trend.

Still, he sensed some kind of leadership realignment was needed, and he wanted to move forward with care and prayer, acknowledging the church’s rich past while preparing the church for a future of continuing to reach individuals with the gospel of Christ.

“This is the Bride of Christ,” he said. “These are the people I love.” He stated he would not want to do anything that would harm the church in any way. “I was thinking about what’s best for the church. What’s best for us, where we are in this city, but also what’s happening in the country?”

 Uth began to explore the possibility of shared pastoral leadership more than three years ago.

“Danny (de Armas) and I began to dream a little bit,” he said, and they discovered a few churches using a shared pastoral leadership model, which First Orlando is describing as a “table of three.” Many corporations, he added, have also moved to a plurality of top leaders sharing responsibilities.

When Uth presented the shared pastoral leadership team model to the church about a year ago, he told the congregation that God was “moving us in a direction of a model that’s going to bring strength and greater possibilities for this church.”

He expected “some pushback because this is not very common among our Baptist churches, but the room was silent,” with only a few good questions, Uth said. Church members were ready to move forward and seemed pleased that the new leadership model meant that both Uth and de Armas would continue to serve the church they both loved.

Such shared pastoral leadership in a church, he said, provides accountability and stability.

A team was established to begin the search for a new teaching pastor, and Hildebrant became the unanimous decision of the search team.

Hildebrant, a third-generation pastor with rich Southern Baptist roots, joined Uth and de Armas for a short presentation to the church on Sunday, Nov. 9.

As the three sat around a table and spoke, Uth said that the shared leadership model is an answer to his prayer that First Orlando would be the “biggest small church” that anyone would ever come to. His prayer is that those who walk through the doors of First Orlando would find a “family. That’s what we want for the city of Orlando and beyond.”

De Armas added that as word about the leadership transition and Hildebrant’s election as senior teaching pastor has begun circulating, “The excitement about us doing what we believe God is leading us to do is really strong, and we believe this is a beautiful way forward.”

Hildebrant affirmed, “I could say this over and over again, but thank you to both of you because certainly your years of leadership and care and discipleship and shepherding have helped get First Orlando where it is today, and I feel unbelievably honored to step in and be a part of that and to lead alongside both of you. It isn’t what ‘was,’ it’s what we continue to do together.”

He added, “I love to preach the gospel. I want all of Orlando to hear the gospel.”

Uth continued that, as he walked into his office on Nov. 9, he read Psalm 139:15-16, which states that a person’s days are ordained by the Lord. The Lord knew this day was coming for First Orlando, he said. “This is the day the Lord has made, and we are going to rejoice and be glad in it, and welcome our new senior teaching pastor, Trey Hildebrant,” he said as the congregation applauded.

Minutes later, Hildebrant stepped up to preach his first sermon at First Orlando. He read 1 Thessalonians 2 and shared his core convictions, which he described as promises to the church: “I will preach for God first. I will give this work all I’ve got. I will honor you by how I live, in public and in private. I will care for you.”

He continued, “We are going to preach the gospel of Jesus here so clearly and so compelling that one day we are going to stand before God and thousands and thousands of people will be standing there with us. We will be soul-winners.”

Because Hildebrant is in his mid-thirties, Uth acknowledged that he and de Armas would help mentor the young senior teaching pastor. When Uth first accepted the call to First Orlando 20 years ago, then-senior pastor Jim Henry continued to serve the church for nine months as he helped Uth get settled into his new role. He remains grateful for Henry guiding him during that time of transition.

“We’re going to be able to really help Trey, build him up, resource him and build around him everything he needs to succeed,” Uth said.

As the younger generation is becoming more open to the gospel, Uth is pleased that Hildebrant is a young man who understands the world and culture of young adults and can speak gospel truth in that context.

“I think he’s the perfect one,” Uth said.

For Uth, the change is real as he will not be preaching each Sunday, which has been his role, he said, for the past 49 years. With the transition, he said he is looking forward to becoming “better acquainted with our church” that he has pastored for 20 years. “What an incredible people they are,” he said.

The most common question that Uth says he has received about the new leadership model is: “What happens if the three leaders disagree?” For Uth, “That was never even a question. I’ve done collaborative leadership all my life.”

If someone asks, “Who is the pastor?” Uth answers, “There are three of us, but really the top is the Lord Himself.”

The couple are among 54 newly appointed IMB missionaries recognized during a recent Sending Celebration at Ironbridge Baptist Church in Chester, Virginia.

Born in Malaysia, Keh came to the United States for college and worked in the information technology field until being called into full-time vocational ministry. After attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and serving in local churches in Minnesota and Texas, Keh and his wife moved to southeast Florida to serve at the Coral Springs church.

Over the past eight years that Keh has served as pastor at Chinese Baptist Church of Coral Springs, he recalled the challenge he first heard on the campus of Southwestern Seminary—preach the Word, reach the world. After preaching through the Book of Acts, both Keh and his wife “were convicted to make disciples of all nations,” he said.

“Through traveling overseas and witnessing for ourselves how God is working, we were convicted to make disciples of all nations,” he said. “We began to pray and recognize the need for cross-cultural disciple-making, partnership with local nationals, and global missions.”

From that point, God, they said, seemed to open doors seamlessly for the couple to enter the mission field as the calling began to stir in their hearts. For Jessica, born in Hong Kong, she has always been interested in evangelism and sees this open door as something they would be content doing for the rest of their lives.

“This Great Commission task is what we want to do for the next decade of ministry,” she shared.

Hold the rope

Both Keh and Jessica believe that the local church is the mechanism that is fueling the vital Great Commission task.

From his study of Acts, Keh adamantly believes the local church not only will provide him and his wife with the needed accountability, support, encouragement, and prayers, but also will “hold the rope” as they serve on the mission field.

“Acts teaches us the importance of the local church in missions,” he said. “It is the local church that commissions and sends missionaries, and it is the local church that stands right beside missionaries; the IMB serves as an extension of the local church to train and send.”

And the couple will need all of the rope-holding they can get as they move from Broward County to southeast Australia—a 10,000-mile journey.

On mission in Australia

With Australia representing a diverse, growing immigrant population, the couple will be responsible for coming alongside local churches in the region. Following a boots-on-the-ground approach, both Keh and Jessica will be working tirelessly to “encourage, support, train, equip and mobilize local churches evangelizing the locals and cross-culturally,” he said.

“We’re very excited for the opportunity to encourage local believers, build strong relationships with them, and educate church leaders and congregations more about global missions in the context of the local church,” he continued.

Serving in this region of the world doesn’t come without challenges. According to the couple, some areas of the world, including Australia, have seen a major shift in secularization and have been influenced heavily by a growing progressive agenda.

Young people are leaving the church and are not interested in faith matters. “We need lots of prayer for the Lord’s wisdom to work with local churches to evangelize and disciple the next generation for the kingdom work,” said Jessica. “We’re going to help build a foundation that will allow others to come after us to continue to reach the next generation and help the local churches see that the Great Commission is reaching all nations and ethnicities in the world and that the congregations can have more impact than they currently have.”

With Australia being an open country, Keh and Jessica are encouraged by the many ministry advantages they will soon experience as well. “We can share the gospel in a relatively free and neutral environment due to Australia being an open country,” he said.

With many immigrants moving to “mega, big” cities in the advanced countries, the couple will have the opportunity to share the gospel and disciple believers from around the world.

“We’re looking forward to reaching the locals and also those who are coming to Australia from around the world. We’re praying that believers then will be sent, go back [to their various countries] and share the gospel with their people,” said Keh. “Pray that the Lord will give us opportunities to share the gospel with the locals and open doors to connect with local churches.”

Keh and Jessica are enthusiastic about what the next several months hold as they complete their final IMB orientation and training between now and December, leaving the states after Christmas. They are also grateful to the men and women across the Sunshine State who have given sacrificially so they could answer the call to go.

“We’re thankful to the countless local churches that make us serving on the field a reality by giving through the Southern Baptist Convention Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions,” said Keh.

Still others can listen for and respond to God’s call to the nations. Jessica said she is praying that more men and women answer the call.

“My prayer is that we would see more brothers and sisters respond to God’s calling to ‘go and make disciples of all nations,’” she said.

Rice, 62, has served as senior pastor at Calvary Church in Clearwater for 21 years.

“Can you honestly look back over the last few years and conclude we are more united and more on mission? Or do you feel like I do? And like so many I hear from that there are real concerns that call for serious reflection, humble correction, and a new day of renewal,” Rice said in the video.

He said his focus would be on renewing the message and the mission of the Convention.

“In this hour of apostasy and idolatry, we need to reaffirm and restate our convictions. Such a time calls not for fuzzy lines in a mushy middle, it calls for clarity and courage. We don’t need to look for something new. We need to stand on what we know is true,” he said.

In 2022, now-SBC President Clint Pressley announced that he would nominate Rice for president at that year’s annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., but Rice later decided not to seek the nomination.

Rice went on in Friday’s video to talk about the 2,000^th anniversary of the Great Commission, which he said historians say will occur “somewhere around May of 2033.”

“What if as we approach that once-in-a-lifetime moment, Southern Baptists were to unite as never before to make sure every person in our nation heard the message of Jesus and was urged to respond in repentance and faith, and imagine Southern Baptists embracing a historic generational goal to get the Gospel into every tongue, every nation and every tribe across the globe,” he said.

Rice said that more than any other generation of Christians “we have all we need” for the mission.

“What we have lacked is the resolve, the vision, the unity, the focus and the commitment to see it through. We have allowed other pursuits to distract us and tainted ideologies to divide us,” he said.

Rice plans to hold “conversations” with Southern Baptists over the coming months to work through potential differences.

“I pray those conversations will be without unnecessary acrimony, that they will glorify our Savior and edify the Church,” he said in the video. “Regardless of your views, I hope you’ll join me in praying for a Baptist renewal in our time and praying specifically that our gathering next summer can be a time of reaffirming our convictions and recommitting to our shared mission.”

According to its 2025 Annual Church Profile statistics and the church’s financial office, Calvary Church gave $343,549 through the Cooperative Program, approximately 3 percent of its undesignated contributions, $52,222 to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering giving and $76,351 to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Calvary reported 409 baptisms in 2024 and 3,055 people in average worship attendance.

Before coming to Calvary, Rice pastored churches in Florida and Alabama. He is a graduate of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., and has an M.Div. and a D.Min. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife Cheryl have three children and six grandchildren.

He served as president of the Florida Baptist Convention from 2006-2008, and he served as president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference in 2015. He has also served as Chairman of the SBC Committee on Committees (2010), Chairman of the SBC Committee on Nominations (2016), President of the Florida Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference (2004) along with other local, state, and national positions.

Rice also served as a trustee for the North American Mission Board from 2018-2022, including stints as second and first vice chairman.

The 2026 SBC Annual Meeting is set for June 9-10 in Orlando at the Orange County Convention Center.

Since then, Duncan has gone on mission to Cuba several more times and was excited to go with her home church this year. The nine-member mission team partnered with the Baptist Seminary of Havana where Mike Orr, pastor, First Baptist Church Chipley, gave an encouraging talk to students during the convocation to begin the new semester.

Training next generation of pastors

Earlier this year, as Orr celebrated 25 years at First Baptist Church Chipley, the church honored his name and service with the Mike Orr Scholarship to provide tuition for students at the Baptist Seminary in Cuba.

“Our pastor has a heart for training up the next generation of pastors,” Duncan said.

While in Cuba, the mission team presented the scholarship to its first recipient. “He was so grateful, and it was very humbling,” Duncan said. The recipient, a man saved out of the practice of Santeria and addiction, burned his idols when he began to follow Jesus and is now attending seminary to become a pastor.

‘Door is open for gospel’

The team also led vacation Bible school and worship services at Iglesia Bautista Salem de Arroyo Apolo. After hearing Orr preach about “renewing your first love” from Revelation 2, several people came to the altar.

“It is exciting to see how God is using the Church in Cuba. The door is open for the gospel there, and He is showing Cubans that true hope is found in a relationship with Christ,” Duncan said.

Orr also preached at Star of Bethlehem Church. There, the mission team provided and served meals for the local community.

The team served with a house church led by a husband and wife who open their home as a place of worship. There are more than 800 house churches in Cuba’s Western Baptist Convention. In this particular home, the wife prayed for 20 years for her husband to know the Lord. When he came to a saving faith, they both were baptized and saw the need for a place to worship in their neighborhood.

As the team shared the gospel of Jesus Christ in the community surrounding the house church, they saw idols from the practice of Santeria and received resistance from families who refused to forsake the idols. The team continues to pray for these Cubans.

First Baptist Church Chipley will continue to invest in spreading the gospel in Cuba through seminary scholarships and future mission trips. Dane Caldwell, missions pastor, Grace Church Bonifay, also joined the team. “I had heard that the church was growing in Cuba, and I couldn’t wait to see it. The leadership structure and plan for sending out the gospel amazed me. God has stirred a revival in Cuba, and Grace Church wants to be a part of it,” said Caldwell. Grace Church Bonifay is currently making plans to establish a long-term partnership with the Church in Cuba.

As a team, we came away spiritually renewed and encouraged by our Cuban brothers and sisters in Christ,” Orr said. “Spending time with them and sharing the gospel with others rekindled our fire for evangelism and gospel conversations.”

“The whole concept is to help churches either start or sharpen their sending and leadership pipelines,” said Myles Dowdy, missions and ministries lead catalyst for the Florida Baptist Convention. “It’s churches coming beside churches, and that’s what makes it so special.”

“Carrying out the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus is a kingdom assignment designed for the body of Christ to work together,” Dowdy added. “The Florida Senders Network meetings are so encouraging to participate in, as we get to witness churches coming beside churches as they encourage and strengthen each other in their kingdom work.”

Hosted by Calvary Church and led by Paul Colton, pastor of mobilization and sending, the meeting offered practical sessions on identifying, equipping and sending leaders from within the local church. The initiative, launched three years ago by Dowdy and Colton, aligns with the Florida Baptist Convention’s goal to discover, develop and deploy Great Commission leaders.

Sharpening the pipeline

During the two-day gathering, churches shared models of effective leadership and mission development.

The Grove Church in Titusville, represented by Pastor Barry Russell and Executive Pastor Dustin Sams, discussed their process for discovering and developing leaders. From North Carolina, Mercy Hill Church leaders Jonathan Yarboro and Adam Hatton presented on creating systems that sustain a culture of sending.

Calvary’s own Carl Porter spoke on identifying and developing leaders within the local church, emphasizing the importance of helping members recognize their calling through intentional discipleship and everyday gospel engagement.

“We wanted to gather churches that are sending and create an environment where we could collaborate and sharpen each other to get better at sending across the board,” Colton said. “At the end of the event, we want leaders leaving with something tangible to take home and implement right away.”

Churches helping churches

The Florida Senders Network reflects a growing movement of churches helping churches. While the Florida Baptist Convention provides logistical support and resources, local churches drive the initiative.

“This isn’t a program of the Convention—it’s a ministry of the local church,” Dowdy explained. “Our large churches like Calvary want to help smaller ones learn what it means to send well. They’re not getting anything out of it; they’re just equipping others.”

Looking ahead

This fall’s meeting marked the third gathering since the network began, and plans are already underway for additional meetings in 2026. Colton and Dowdy hope to see the effort expand regionally so more churches can participate.

“Our hope is that churches across Florida will take ownership,” Colton said. “When churches lead, it grows stronger and lasts longer.”

Dowdy agreed, noting that the movement is fueled by cooperation and celebration.

“Missions leads to celebration,” he said. “We want churches celebrating what God is doing because every victory is a kingdom victory.”

The event, organized by the North American Mission Board in partnership with the Florida Baptist Convention, was part of Send South Florida, a church planting initiative focused on reaching one of the most diverse and rapidly growing regions in the United States with the hope of Christ by helping churches plant churches.

Equipping leaders for kingdom impact

Participants attended breakout sessions focused on discipleship, leadership development, evangelism and outreach, and church planting, along with a special track designed for women in ministry. Each session provided practical training and biblical encouragement aimed at strengthening local churches and advancing the gospel.

“We want to see a movement of Hispanic churches multiplying disciples and leaders who will reach South Florida and beyond,” organizers said. “This gathering is about unity, collaboration, and equipping the local church to live on mission ‘Por Su Reino’ which translates to ‘For His Kingdom.’”

Keeping the gospel central

The conference featured keynote messages from José Abella, pastor of Providence Road Church in Miami, and Raudel Hernández, pastor of Summit en Español, the Spanish-language campus of The Summit Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, where J.D. Greear serves as lead pastor.

Abella encouraged leaders to remain faithful to their callings and to continue building strong, gospel-centered churches that reflect the diversity and vitality of South Florida’s communities.

Hernández reminded attendees that above every ministry program or leadership role, believers are called first and foremost to share the gospel with the lost. “Before we are called to anything else,” he emphasized, “we are called to proclaim Christ.”

United for the kingdom

Por Su Reino served as a visible reminder of the growing unity among Hispanic pastors and churches in South Florida, all sharing the same vision to see lives transformed by the gospel.

“Every time leaders come together with one heart and one mission, the kingdom advances,” one participant shared. “We leave encouraged, renewed and reminded that we are not alone in this work.”

According to the GHC website, the conference was “established in order to provide a vehicle to present lessons learned and other important information about hurricanes to public and private officials, especially local emergency management professionals, and those involved in preparedness, planning, response and recovery at all levels of government, industry and private interests,” with first-line responders being the primary target audience. More than 2,000 attendees are expected to attend the 2026 GHC, which includes general sessions, workshops, an exhibit hall and more, all designed to ensure best practices in hurricane preparedness and response efforts throughout the state. The GHC is considered to be the largest hurricane conference in the United States.

Those serving alongside Coggins on the program committee include, among others, county and state emergency management individuals s as well as representatives from various relief agencies and the National Weather Service.

As a first-time member of the committee, Coggins said, “I am thankful for the invitation and opportunity to be part of the program committee for the GHC. I look forward to learning and working with the committee to make the 40^th annual GHC a great success for the larger emergency management community across Florida and beyond.

“I think this invitation to be involved in the planning is a reflection of how our Florida Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers have continued to serve our state over the years with critical service at times of need. This is a great opportunity to represent our volunteers, other non-profits and especially the faith-based community.”

A touch of excitement was in the air on a clear and calm Sunday morning at First Baptist Church of Bartow.

Longtime member Janet Pitts and her teammates were busy transforming the church’s ministry center into a beautiful dining setting for a historic occasion.

Outside, smiling greeters awaited the opportunity to welcome guests and members for worship.

The day had come to celebrate the church’s 150^th anniversary with a special service, followed by a churchwide dinner. Throughout the year, Pitts, the anniversary team and others had planned and promoted the event throughout the community. Pitts said she couldn’t have felt more privileged to serve.

Established in 1875 with 10 founding members

The church was founded Sept. 21, 1875, by 10 people as Concord Church, which later was named Bartow Baptist before becoming First Baptist Church of Bartow. The founding of the church came as Bartow was in its formative years. In 1866, Jacob Summerlin, a cattle businessman, wanted to help the town and donated land to establish government buildings, a school and local churches. Twenty acres were gifted to establish the Baptist church.

Elder Jeremiah M. Hayman led the founding members and became the first pastor of First Baptist Church of Bartow. Later, Hayman became a missionary in central Florida and helped start many churches throughout the state.

On Sept. 7, the church unveiled a Polk County Heritage Site marker on its grounds. The marker was sponsored by the church and the Polk County Historical Commission.

The marker is both special and personal to church member Emmett Ferguson Griffin, as he is related to Elizabeth A. Griffin, one of the 10 founding members noted on the sign.

The 85-year-old Griffin and several members of his family attended the anniversary service. They were part of the 333 people who gathered in the 100-year-old sanctuary, where at age 9, Griffin was baptized. He and his wife of 45 years, Margie, were also married in the historic sanctuary.

“I just feel comfortable in this church, and it feels like going home every time that I go,” said Griffin.

‘Lord has blessed this church’

At the beginning of the service, a congratulatory video welcomed the congregation. About 20 people, which included pastors, friends and various leaders from all over the country, sent their well wishes to honor the church’s milestone anniversary. Later in the program, another video was played that featured several members who gave their thoughts on the church’s legacy.

Senior pastor Matt McCraw, the church’s 28^th pastor, stepped forward to thank and welcome special guests such as Betsy Deaton, the widow of former pastor Norman Deaton, and local dignitaries, including Bartow Mayor Tanya Tucker and several city commissioners. McCraw then shared a congratulatory letter from former pastor David Sutherland, who served the church 1977-1982.

McCraw paused and smiled at the congregation.

“The Lord has blessed this church. Amen,” he said.

‘A beacon of the gospel’

“While it is good and right to celebrate all that God has done,” McCraw reminded the church of its mission to develop disciples and to look to its future.

“Our eyes should not only look backward but also should look forward to the future. God is not near finished with First Baptist Bartow. This church is a beacon of the gospel here in Bartow, Polk County, the state of Florida and beyond,” said McCraw.

McCraw then introduced his lifelong friend and guest speaker Aaron Burgner, senior pastor of Lakes Church in Lakeland, formerly First Baptist Church of Lakeland. Burgner and McCraw grew up together in Lakeland. Both men also serve on the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference. Burgner is president of the conference, and McCraw is vice-president.

Burgner drew his message, “An Authentic and Faithful Church,” from 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10. He commended the church for always being faithful and Word-centered.

“It’s important that we know that what we’re celebrating today is not that we’re 150 years as a church but 150 years of God’s faithfulness to a people and a people’s faithfulness to God and His Word.

“For 150 years, you’ve been tethered to the Word of God,” said Burgner.

“And (McCraw) has always had his heart tethered to God’s Word,” he added.

‘Biblical truths alive in our hearts’

Member Sandra Waters said she appreciates how McCraw preaches from the Word.

“It’s really, really wonderful,” she said.

Waters is an advisory board member, and she and her husband of 64 years, Larry, have been members of the church for 50 years.

In September 2017 when McCraw came to serve as pastor, the church was struggling, Waters recalled. Attendance was down, and the church had been without a pastor for about 18 months.

“God had impressed upon my heart that we needed the Word,” she said.

“I knew when (McCraw) came, God had sent him here, and there was no doubt in my mind,” she added.

Waters also admires how McCraw reaches out to people.

“He cares about people, and that shows in what he does. And he cares about reaching beyond the four walls of the church too,” she said.

During the first couple of years McCraw served, he didn’t see much growth as attendance was running about 160-180. Also, several members passed away.

“But the Lord started blessing (us), and we started growing,” said McCraw.

The church grew every year since, except during the pandemic when attendance fell. Now the church averages about 200 in attendance on Sundays and continues to reach new people in the community. In 2025, the church had 12 baptisms.

McCraw gives credit to the Lord and the members for the growth. He said members invite their friends and neighbors to the church.

“I cannot remember a Sunday when we haven’t had at least one guest,” he said.

“And often we have multiple guests from multiple households,” he added.

Don Scarbrough, chairman of deacons, likes how the church is growing under McCraw.

“With Pastor Matt our church is headed in the right direction,” he said.

Scarbrough also thinks people come because they like hearing how McCraw preaches from the Word.

“Matt preaches directly from the Bible, and I think that’s what keeps people coming back,” he said.

“We want people to know that they are welcomed in our church, and that spreads pretty quickly,” he said.

Member Matt Ferrell and his wife Manda and their family felt the church’s welcome when they joined the church four years ago. The family with six children, now ages 13 to 21, had moved from Ohio to Florida.

Matt Ferrell also appreciates how McCraw teaches the Bible.

“Number one is that (McCraw) preaches the Word of God, and second is that it’s very much like being in a family here,” he said.

“As a church, everybody is so loving and caring for each other. We immediately felt like we were loved and taken in by the church. That’s been great,” he added.

Member George Grubbs calls McCraw “Rabbi Matt” because of his Bible teaching.

“Pastor Matt has been a blessing to the church and especially to me. He’s taught me a lot about the Bible and explains verses to me, and I am thankful for that and enjoy that very much,” said the 30-year member.

“The Lord has blessed us with good Christian families and is building the church up with Pastor Matt and his family,” he added.

“Everything is going great,” he said.

Jayme “DeeDee” McKinnish, 31, who serves as assistant children’s ministry coordinator, is also pleased with church growth with the new families and children.

McKinnish, who was baptized at age six in the church, grew up in the church and values all of her church teachers throughout her childhood.

“I am excited about the future of how we can continue to make disciples with these children and really just make a difference in their lives,” said McKinnish.

Member Cherylann McGirt, who joined the church by baptism about four years ago, enjoys working with the youth and with McKinnish.

“I am a new disciple, and I hope people know that biblical truths are alive in our hearts,” said McGirt who was baptized in her 60s.

“I hope that we can share the love of Christ with others and that (it) would explode in our city and that would go out into the world. We are a ripple in the water to let people know who we are in Christ,” she said.

McCraw thinks the future of the church is bright.

“I’m excited because I think the hard work of reunifying ourselves and realigning our church has been done, and we are now ready to be unleashed to make disciples, and I think the future is bright for us to do that,” said McCraw.