Grand Avenue Baptist Church in Forth Smith celebrated 31 Baptisms on Sunday, March 15. (Photos courtesy of Grand Avenue Baptist Church)
FORT SMITH, Ark. – “It was a real story of the power of God.”
That’s how Dr. Ronnie Floyd described this past Sunday at Grand Avenue Baptist Church, when dozens responded to an invitation to faith.
“You saw people bringing others to Christ,” he said.
Floyd, who began serving as interim pastor at the church in December, said the moment was a result of a renewed focus that began in January with a simple emphasis: prayer.
The church, which had been without a lead pastor since September, was experiencing a challenging season, Floyd said. As they looked toward 2026, Floyd challenged the church to make prayer their first priority. “We needed a move of God,” he said. “If we’re going to get out of where we are, we have to pray.”
In January, Floyd launched a prayer ministry called “Together We Pray,” involving nearly 400 members who committed to receive a monthly prayer guide with points of prayer, of which each participant in this ministry agrees to pray 30 minutes each week for the church according to the prayer points. That effort was paired with 21 days of focused prayer, including daily text messages sent to most of the congregation.
“Prayer was going to be central to everything we do,” Floyd said.
Early signs of change appeared in February during a college ministry service, when a planned single baptism turned into seven.
“That really verified everything that we had been talking about,” Floyd said. “God was already beginning to move.”
Building on that momentum, having already planned a Men’s Night for March 15, the church decided to turn it into a day-long evangelism event.
Three weeks out, Floyd and the ministry team began encouraging members to invite others to a special March 15 service they called “Harvest Sunday.” They had faith they were going to see “the Lord do something special on that morning,” Floyd said.
The response exceeded expectations.
“We had our largest worship crowd we’ve had all year,” Floyd said.
By the end of the morning service, 23 individuals had professed faith and were baptized, a majority of them spontaneously. The church had prepared in advance by bringing in additional baptismal setups – cattle troughs – and gathering clothing for those who chose to be baptized immediately.
The momentum continued that evening during the men’s event that drew 466 attendees, including participants from other area churches. Eight more men made professions of faith and were baptized.
“When the day was over, we had 31 people baptized,” Floyd said. In recent years, he noted that would have been more than a full year of baptisms at the church. According to Floyd, the church has recorded about 69 baptisms so far this year, with a notable increase in adults.
“The Lord is doing something great. That’s the real story. It started with the prayer ministry, it started with the importance of bringing your friends, and praying for God to move,” he said. The church began to move towards being a true Acts 1:8 church.
Floyd emphasized that the numbers are not the focus, but rather the spiritual transformation behind them.
The church is now preparing for Easter services and additional outreach events, while continuing to build on its renewed emphasis on prayer and evangelism.
“The Lord is blessing and we’re seeing a great season but that doesn’t mean we’re through with everything that we’re doing,” Floyd said.
As part of those efforts, the church will host a Women’s Night on April 12, beginning at 5 p.m. with an evening of worship and a post-event gathering. Ladies are encouraged to invite friends, family, and neighbors, including girls of middle and high school age.
“We want to create an environment where women can grow in their faith and bring others with them,” Floyd said. “We’re praying God will continue to move.”
Even as attendance and participation grow, Floyd said the church’s direction remains clear.
“Churches have to learn how to reach people who are far away from God,” he said. And the way that happens is through prayer and through sharing the gospel.
For Floyd, the recent growth is rooted in a simple starting point – the ministry of prayer.
“Prayer is key,” he said.