Senior Pastor: Chris Russell
Serving since June 17, 2018.
I was born March of 1986 in Fort Smith, AR and raised in Ratcliff, AR. Our home was only culturally Christian, and certainly not a practicing Christian home. We rarely went to church or talked about God. As a teenager I took part in a lot of things I am not proud of now. I struggled with wrong behaviors and lots of anger. In 2003 I began attending First Baptist church of Branch, AR. After hearing the gospel message through preaching and personal witnesses, I surrendered my life to Christ October 10th, 2004. Sensing God’s call to ministry, I later attended seminary to pursue God’s call on my life.
God used a special young lady to draw me to Himself. I started dating a young lady who went to church, so naturally, I started following her to church (FBC Branch). In July of 2006, I married that special young lady, my best friend Dadrian. She has lovingly followed me wherever we have sensed God’s call. We have three incredible kids. Katie Beth was born in January of 2011. Jeremiah was born in December of 2012, and Isaac was born in April of 201.
I attended County Line School beginning in Kindergarten and graduated in 2004. I began college at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, but I transferred to Arkansas Tech University to complete my bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication in December of 2008. Next, I attended Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, TN where I earned my Master of Divinity. I am currently enrolled in Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC for the Doctor of Ministry Degree.
I enjoy spending time with my family and outdoor hobbies especially when they collide. I like to hunt, fish, play golf and basketball. Really, I like most all sports unless it requires me to run a lot. I listen to quite the variety of Christian music. I enjoy nearly all forms of gospel-centered music. Our family enjoys cheering on the Razorbacks in all sports and rooting for the Chicago Cubs, especially in Cardinal country.
Missions Minister & Minister of Students & Families: Jonathan Whitlock
Serving since June 2009.
I was born in Kennett, Missouri. On Sunday night, January 3, 1982, at around 8:30 p.m. (I’m a math major so numbers are easy for me to remember), I knelt beside my parents’ bed with my dad gave my life to Christ. God had been taking me through a process of understanding sin and my need for a Savior. I grew up knowing right from wrong. However, I began to realize that a relationship with God and going to heaven when I died was not based upon how good or bad that I had been. It was based upon God’s grace and mercy in the form of His Son, Jesus, dying on the cross for my sin and my response to His sacrifice. On this night after we had gotten home from church, my brother, Tim, asked me if I wanted to become Christian, and I did. So, we waited for dad to get home from church. I knelt with him and confessed my sin, my need for a Savior, and my desire to make Jesus Lord of my life.
I married Michelle Suzanne Bailey on May 31, 1997. She is an incredible compliment to me, and God blessed me greatly with such a wonderful wife. We have two kids: Erica and Ethan. To Michelle’s dismay, they have more of my personality. Life is definitely interesting for her with the three of us.
Some favorite movies include Monty Python’s Search for the Holy Grail, Princess Bride, What About Bob?, the Bourne Movies, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the Narnia movies. I love music and some of my favorites are: US, Jars of Clay, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band, Hillsong United, and Phil Wickham. My favorite authors are, God, Ravi Zacharias, Tim Keller, Charles Stanley, Francis Chan, Lee Strobel, Tullian Tchividjian, and C.S. Lewis. My favorite books of the Bible are Ecclesiastes and James. Favorite passages are 2 Kings 2:23-24, Psalm 51, Proverbs 3:5-8, Matthew 6:33, John 17:3, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, and 2 Peter 1:3-11.
If I could invite 5 people dead or alive to our house for dinner, I would invite Jesus and any four lost people. I would want to introduce these four to the man that changed my life and could change theirs too.
My prayer for 2nd is Ephesians 3:14-21: “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from who every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.”