New church plants make gains: Arkansas baptisms up 3 percent in 2011

LITTLE ROCK – With 91 percent of churches reporting, baptisms among Arkansas Baptist churches are up 3 percent from 2011.

Brad Curtis (right), pastor of Mountain Top Cowboy Church, Heber Springs, baptizes Roger Nelson of Rose Bud, during a recent service.The Arkansas Baptist State Convention (ABSC) evangelism and church growth team distributed a report outlining ABSC-affiliated churches leading in baptisms during the ABSC’s 2012 State Conference on Evangelism and Church Growth, held Jan. 23-24 at First Baptist Church, Sherwood. Sonny Tucker is team leader.

Among top baptisms in the state are several new church plants that were started since 2009. Victory Ministries, Clarksville, a predominantly African-American congregation, led the new churches with 49 baptisms.

James Bell, pastor of Victory Ministries, Clarksville, said God has blessed the ministry “greatly.”
He said God used an illness in his life to change his life’s direction and give him a “revelation” to start the church.

“Demographics and research results indicated that it was a horrible idea,” he said. “But my God is able.
“He gave me a vision, mission and equipped us with the people and passion to touch people from all over Arkansas,” he continued.

Bell said his membership has continued to grow and the church is praying for their own sanctuary.

Mountain Top Cowboy Church, Heber Springs, was second on the list with 39 baptisms reported. “Cowboy churches,” a growing segment among Arkansas Baptist church planting work, placed in third and fourth places and in a three-way tie for sixth place.

Brad Curtis, pastor of Mountain Top Cowboy Church, said what makes his ministry unique is that most of the people the church is reaching are 45 years old or older, adding he recently baptized two men in their 70s.
The church meets in a cattle sale barn. Curtis said more than 400 people have attended each worship service for several Sundays.

“It’s amazing what the Lord is doing in our church,” he exclaimed. “You can’t explain it until you experience it.”

Tucker said the success of these diverse church plants like Victory Ministries and Mountain Top Cowboy Church is a reflection of “Arkansas Baptists who are reaching out to ethnically and socioeconomically diverse people” with the gospel of Christ.

Tucker pointed to “intense prayer efforts” among churches that have led to the salvations and subsequent baptisms of people in the state.

Cross Church, Springdale, the largest Southern Baptist church in the state, led overall top baptisms with a reported 1,082 people baptized in 2011. Rounding out the top five churches leading in baptisms were First Baptist Church, Rogers, 282; The Church at Rock Creek, Little Rock, 239; Brand New Church, Harrison, 153; and Valley Baptist Church, Searcy, 140.

Emil Turner, ABSC executive director, said the report was encouraging.

“God has been good to our churches and allowed us to avoid some of the downward trends that are impacting our country,” he said.

“Dr. Tucker and his team are among the best in the nation at promoting and encouraging evangelism, and the churches of Arkansas care about the souls of lost people,” he continued.

“Our smaller membership churches are not dead, and our new church starts do not merely ‘trade sheep,’ but they reach lost people,” he said.

Tucker agreed, noting the “unsung heroes” in the state who pastor in smaller churches in out-of-the-way places.

“They are faithful and evangelically intentional in reaching people for Christ,” he said.

Below are the lists of Top 10 baptism totals from the Annual Church Profile.

2011 Top Baptisms

New Church Plants (started since 2009)
Victory Ministries, Clarksville, 49
Mountain Top Cowboy, Heber Springs, 39
Cross Roads Baptist, Pea Ridge, 30
Three Trees Cowboy, Wynne, 25
OneChurch, Conway, 17
Point of Cassville, Cassville, 15
Ridin’ on Faith Cowboy, Salem, 15
Stuttgart Harvest, Stuttgart, 15
Compass, Batesville, 12
Amazing Grace Fellowship, Thayer, 10

1-50 Average in Sunday School Attendance
West Side Baptist, Little Rock, 29
Cove Chapel Southern Baptist, Springfield, 25
Gilead Baptist, Malvern, 24
Cornerstone Fellowship, Hensley, 22
Winfield Baptist, Waldron, 22
Northwest Baptist, El Dorado, 20
His Way Fellowship, Gateway, 20
Social Hill First Baptist, Malvern, 19
New Beginning Baptist, McRae, 18
Yocana Baptist, Board Camp, 18

51-100 Average in Sunday School Attendance
Piney Point Baptist, Rogers, 54
Second Baptist, Clarksville, 34
Mount Tabor Baptist, Jessieville, 30
Unity Baptist, Paragould, 28
Jacksonport Baptist, Jacksonport, 27
Brownsville Baptist, Lonoke, 26
Bingham Road Baptist, Little Rock, 25
Center Ridge Baptist, Center Ridge, 25
Old Austin Baptist, Austin, 25
Walnut Grove Baptist, North Little Rock, 25

101-250 Average in Sunday School Attendance
Hickory Grove Baptist, Bismarck, 74
First Baptist, Dardanelle, 64
Mount Zion Baptist, Batesville, 61
Cross Life, El Dorado, 60
Finch Baptist, Paragould, 49
First Baptist, Salem, 48
First Baptist, Lowell, 47
Central Baptist, Bald Knob, 43
Cornerstone Baptist, Harrisburg, 42
First Baptist, Desha, 41
New Life Baptist, Alexander, 41

251-500 Average in Sunday School Attendance
First Southern Baptist, Bryant, 59
Southside Community, Paragould, 55
Crossgate, Hot Springs, 51
First Baptist, Mountain Home, 51
Grace Point, Bentonville, 48
First Baptist, Alma, 47
Friendship Baptist, Conway, 45
Calvary Baptist, Camden, 36
First Baptist, Conway, 34
Mercy’s Cross, Sherwood, 34

500 and Above Average in Sunday School Attendance
Cross Church, Springdale, 1,082
First Baptist, Rogers, 282
Valley Baptist, Searcy, 140
Central Baptist, Jonesboro, 135
Mount Carmel Baptist, Cabot, 125
East Side Baptist, Fort Smith, 111
Geyer Springs First Baptist, Little Rock, 102
First Baptist, Bentonville, 94
The Summit, North Little Rock, 88
First Baptist, Marion, 83

Top Overall Baptisms
Cross Church, Springdale, 1082
First Baptist, Rogers, 282
The Church at Rock Creek, Little Rock, 239
Brand New Church, Harrison, 153
Valley Baptist, Searcy, 140
Central Baptist, Jonesboro, 135
Mount Carmel Baptist, Cabot, 125
Family Church, Pine Bluff, 112
East Side Baptist, Fort Smith, 111
Geyer Springs First Baptist, Little Rock, 102
First Baptist, Bentonville, 94
Midtowne, Benton, 93
The Summit, North Little Rock, 88
First Baptist, Marion, 83
Nettleton Baptist, Jonesboro, 80
Hickory Grove Baptist, Bismarck, 74
Circle J Baptist, Texarkana, 72
Centerton Baptist, Centerton, 71
Grand Avenue Baptist, Fort Smith, 70
First Baptist, Dardanelle, 64
Indian Springs Baptist, Bryant, 63
Mount Zion Baptist, Batesville, 61
Walnut Street Baptist, Jonesboro, 61
First Baptist, Russellville, 61
First Baptist, Benton, 60
Cross Life, El Dorado, 60
First Southern Baptist, Bryant, 59
Immanuel Baptist, Little Rock, 58
Southside Community, Paragould, 55
Piney Point Baptist, Rogers, 54
Crossgate, Hot Springs, 51
First Baptist, Mountain Home, 51
First Baptist, Cabot, 50
Victory Ministries, Clarksville, 49
First Baptist, Greenwood, 49
First Baptist, Fort Smith, 49
Finch Baptist, Paragould, 49
Grace Point, Bentonville, 48
First Baptist, Salem, 48
First Baptist, Van Buren, 48
First Baptist, Lowell, 47
First Baptist, Alma, 47
First Baptist, Lavaca, 46
Friendship Baptist, Conway, 45
First Baptist, Hot Springs, 45
Central Baptist, Bald Knob, 43
Cross Point Cowboy, Nashville, 43
Hot Springs Baptist, Hot Springs, 43
Cornerstone Baptist, Harrisburg, 42
First Baptist, Desha, 41
North Park Baptist, Van Buren, 41
New Life Baptist, Alexander, 41

Top Children’s Baptisms

1-50 Average in Sunday School Attendance
Gilead Baptist Church, Malvern, 10
Memorial Baptist Church, Hackett, 8
Baldwin Baptist Church, Fayetteville, 7
First Baptist Church, Black Rock, 7
Cornerstone Fellowship, Hensley, 7
New Hope Baptist Mission, Marion, 7
New Liberty Baptist Church, Marmaduke, 7
Sidney Baptist Church, Sidney, 7
Social Hill First Baptist Church, Malvern, 7
Wye Mountain Southern Baptist Church, Bigelow, 6
Cominto Baptist Church, Dermott, 6
Needham Baptist Church, Jonesboro, 6
Scotland Baptist Church, Scotland, 6
First Baptist Church, Western Grove, 6

51-100 Average in Sunday School Attendance
Unity Baptist Church, Paragould, 13
Viola Baptist Church, Viola, 10
Old Austin Baptist Church, Austin, 10
Runyan First Baptist Church, Sherwood, 10
Houston Baptist Church, Bigelow, 10
Center Ridge Baptist Church, Center Ridge, 8
Brownsville Baptist Church, Lonoke, 8
First Baptist Church, Kensett, 8
Angels Way Baptist Church, Marion, 8
First Baptist Church, Gravette, 8
Pine Tree Baptist Church, Colt, 8
Friendship Baptist Church, Springdale, 8
North Crossett First Baptist Church, Crossett, 8

101-250 Average in Sunday School Attendance
Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Bismarck, 31
First Baptist Church, Lowell, 30
First Baptist Church, Dardanelle, 21
Browns Chapel Baptist Church, Paragould, 19
Abbott Baptist Church, Mansfield, 15
Kibler Baptist Church, Alma, 14
Central Baptist Church, Bald Knob, 14
First Baptist Church, Salem, 14
Sugarloaf Baptist Church, Heber Springs, 13
Finch Baptist Church, Paragould, 12
First Baptist Church, Marmaduke, 12
First Baptist Church, Ashdown, 12

251-500 Average in Sunday School Attendance
Crossgate Church, Hot Springs, 27
Calvary Baptist Church, Camden, 25
Southside Community Church, Paragould, 18
First Baptist Church, Mountain Home, 16
First Baptist Church, Siloam Springs, 16
Bella Vista Baptist Church, Bella Vista, 15
Friendship Baptist Church, Conway, 15
Beech Street First Baptist Church, Texarkana, 13
Lonoke Baptist Church, Lonoke, 12
Central Baptist Church, Conway, 11
Central Baptist Church, North Little Rock, 11
Life Line Baptist Church, Little Rock, 11

500 & Above Average in Sunday School Attendance
Cross Church, Springdale, 246
Central Baptist Church, Jonesboro, 62
First Baptist Church, Rogers, 53
Geyer Springs First Baptist Church, Little Rock, 47
First Baptist Church, Bentonville, 45
Mount Carmel Baptist Church, Cabot, 45
Valley Baptist Church, Searcy, 42
First Baptist Church, Cabot, 31
Walnut Street Baptist Church, Jonesboro, 27
First Baptist Church, Russellville, 27

Top Youth Baptisms

1-50 Average in Sunday School Attendance
Kearney Baptist Church, Jefferson, 12
Cornerstone Fellowship Church, Hensley, 10
Ridin’ on Faith Cowboy Church, Salem, 9
Bigelow Baptist Church, Bigelow, 8
First Baptist Church, Grannis, 8
Winfield Baptist Church, Waldron, 8
First Baptist Church, Tillar, 7
Midway Baptist Church, Midway, 7
First Baptist Church, Casa, 6
Gillham Baptist Church, Gillham, 6
Memorial Baptist Church, Hackett, 6
New Beginnings Baptist Church, McRae, 6
Pleasant Plains Baptist Church, Pleasant Plains, 6
First Baptist Church, Reyno, 6
Amazing Grace Fellowship, Thayer, 6
Providence Baptist Church, Trumann, 6
Holland Baptist Church, Vilonia, 6

51-100 Average in Sunday School Attendance
Bingham Road Baptist Church, Little Rock, 15
Southside Baptist Church, Alma, 12
Shannon Road Baptist Church, Pine Bluff, 10
Shepherd Hill Baptist Church, Pine Bluff, 10
Baugh Chapel Baptist Church, Austin, 9
Pilgrims Rest Baptist Church, Batesville, 9
Center Ridge Baptist Church, Center Ridge, 9
Vine Prairie Baptist Church, Mulberry, 9
Monte Ne Baptist Church, Rogers, 9
First Baptist Church, Alpena, 8
Millwood Baptist Church, Ashdown, 8
First Baptist Church, Gravel Ridge, 8
Immanuel Baptist Church, Paragould, 8

101-250 Average in Sunday School Attendance
Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Bismarck, 34
Mount Zion Baptist Church, Batesville, 23
First Baptist Church, Dardanelle, 22
Finch Baptist Church, Paragould, 21
New Life Baptist Church, Alexander, 18
First Baptist Church, McGehee, 17
Central Baptist Church, Bald Knob, 16
First Baptist Church, Des Arc, 16
First Baptist Church, Farmington, 16
First Baptist Church, Pea Ridge, 14

251-500 Average in Sunday School Attendance
First Baptist Church, Mountain Home, 18
Mercy’s Cross Baptist Church, Sherwood, 15
Southside Community Church, Paragould, 13
First Baptist Church, Nashville, 13
Beech Street First Baptist Church, Texarkana, 12
Friendship Baptist Church, Conway, 10
Immanuel Baptist Church, El Dorado, 10
Balboa Baptist Church, Hot Springs Village, 10
Crossgate Church, Hot Springs, 9
Life Line Baptist Church, Little Rock, 9
First Baptist Church, White Hall, 9

500 & Above Average in Sunday School Attendance
Cross Church, Springdale, 159
East Side Baptist Church, Fort Smith, 75
First Baptist Church, Rogers, 65
Mount Carmel Baptist Church, Cabot, 51
Indian Springs Baptist Church, Bryant, 38
Valley Baptist Church, Searcy, 33
First Baptist Church, Benton, 31
First Baptist Church, Marion, 24
Central Baptist Church, Jonesboro, 24
First Baptist Church, Bentonville, 10