Messengers raise ballots during the 2025 ABSC Annual Meeting. (Cassidy Higgins/ABSC)
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Baptists gathered in Russellville Oct. 20-21 for the 172nd Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention (ABSC) at First Baptist Church.
The theme for this year’s annual meeting, “Follow,” captures the challenge of Ephesians 5:1, “Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children.” As of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, there were 510 registered messengers representing more than 200 churches in attendance at the Annual Meeting.
Several items of business were conducted such as the election of Convention officers and ABSC team, agency and institution reports. The Convention sermon was delivered by Dr. Ryan Johnson, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Elkins. Attendees also heard messages shared by ABSC Executive Director Dr. Mark Dance on Tuesday afternoon and Ed Newton, lead pastor of Community Bible Church in San Antonio, Texas, Monday evening in conjunction with the Pastors’ Conference.
Election of officers
On Tuesday, messengers at the 2025 Annual Meeting elected Laramie LeQuieu, pastor of Harvest Baptist Church in Paragould, to serve as president of the ABSC.
In addition to LeQuieu, messengers elected Kelly Jones, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Monticello, as first vice president and Reid Terry, lead pastor at Lonoke Baptist Church, as second vice president.
Additionally, Bill Panneck, senior executive pastor at Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro, was elected chair of the Executive Board of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
Approval of new budget formula, 2026 budget and goals
Upon recommendation from the Executive Board, messengers on Tuesday approved the ABSC 2026-2028 budget formula, which allocates 59% of Cooperative Program funds to state causes, 40% to Southern Baptist Convention causes, and an additional 1% to the International Mission Board.
“We want to steward those dollars well and do the best we can here in Arkansas,” ABSC Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Patrick Henry said Tuesday morning during the treasurer’s report, a first in ABSC history.
Additionally, messengers approved the 2026 ABSC Cooperative Program (CP) budget of $20 million as well as the 2026 goals of the ABSC Executive Board teams.
To view all Executive Board recommendations, including the budget formula and 2026 budget, in full, click here.
Messengers pass two motions during miscellaneous business
On Tuesday, Bro. Jimmie Sheffield made a motion to dedicate the 2025 Annual in memory of Dr. Don Moore, a former ABSC Executive Director who died Oct. 14. Moore served as the executive director of the ABSC from 1982 to 1995.
Sheffield reflected on the life and ministry of Dr. Don Moore, stating that “only eternity will tell the number of people impacted by the life of Bro. Don Moore.”
The second motion, made by Ryan Scantling, pastor at East Side Baptist Church in Fort Smith, was for the Convention to establish a task force, to be appointed by the next elected president of the ABSC, “to make recommendations to this body on ways to strengthen and increase support of Baptist Collegiate Ministries in our state, with a report to be presented at the next annual meeting. In accordance with ABSC bylaws, any expenditure of funds from the Executive Board budget related either to the work of the task force or to any recommendations in the report must first be approved by the Executive Board.”
“I believe foundationally that the college campus is the most strategic mission field on earth,” Scantling said. “… Let us strengthen and support those that are doing ministry on college campuses, so we have an evangelistic outreach so that if a student from 18-22 is on campus at least we know they leave having heard and having the opportunity to respond to the Good News message. This is not a critique of anything in our Convention, this is saying let us strengthen what already exists.”
Messengers approve one resolution
Messengers to the Arkansas Baptist State Convention Annual Meeting approved one resolution during the morning session on Tuesday, Oct. 21.
The resolution expressed appreciation to the ABSC president, executive director, convention officers, and the staff and members First Baptist Church in Russellville for their “diligent and sacrificial service in the successful preparation and guidance of the 172nd session of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.”
Each year, messengers to the annual meeting approve resolutions that express their opinions and concerns on a wide variety of issues.
Recordings of the ABSC 2025 Annual Meeting can be found here.