RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The 2025 Pastors’ Conference was held Monday, Oct. 20, at First Baptist Church in Russellville.
The conference kicked off with lunch in the fellowship hall, where they held an election for officers and heard words from Arkansas Baptist State Convention (ABSC) Executive Director Dr. Mark Dance.
Matt Duran, senior pastor at Indian Springs Baptist Church in Bryant, was elected president of the Pastors’ Conference and Nathan Brown, pastor at First Baptist Church in Clinton, was elected vice president.
This year’s Pastors’ Conference theme, Undivided: A Whole Heart for a Holy God, was derived from Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” The conference served as a space and time for pastors, church leaders, and ministry teams to recalibrate, refocus, and renew their hearts before a holy God.
Throughout the day pastors lifted their voices and were refreshed in God’s presence as Cory and Stephanie Epps led in worship. Guest speakers for the day were Ed Newton, lead pastor of Community Bible Church in San Antonio, Texas, and John Meador, lead pastor of Cross City Church in Euless, Texas.
Whether weary, thriving, or somewhere in between, the 2025 Pastors Conference served as an opportunity for pastors to be with other pastors who know the weight of the calling, and who long to carry it with integrity, joy, and a whole heart.
“Some of you have been knocked down, discouraged, defeated, sidelined. The heavenly Father tells you get up, stand up, live out what He has put in your heart. Rise to the occasion of the Father’s word,” Newton said during the conference.
The end of the Pastors’ Conference coincided with the start of the 2025 ABSC Annual Meeting, Oct. 20-21.