New Senior Pastor Information

On December 18, 2022, First Baptist Church, Abilene called Rev. Brandon Hudson as their next Senior Pastor by an overwhelming vote of the congregation. He will begin his ministry with the church on February 5, 2023.

Brandon, a native of Lubbock, is married to Jill, and they have two teenage children, Sophia and Quinn. He has degrees from Texas Tech University and Truett Seminary of Baylor University. Before coming to FBC, Brandon’s ministry involved five years of service as a youth pastor in Texas churches and fifteen years as a senior pastor in two churches in North Carolina and Alabama.

When asked what he loves most about ministry, Brandon said “I love people and their stories.” He has a passion “to help others explore the way their stories connect to the grand narrative of God’s grace through proclamation and pastoral care.” Brandon also loves preaching and describes his philosophy of proclamation this way: “I approach sermons as a discovery of the intersection between the people of the congregation and the story of God. That means that it is my knowledge of the people which enables me to understand how to cater my sermons to meet the needs of the congregation as we are exploring together the wonder of God’s word.”

Brandon was unanimously recommended to FBC by the congregation’s Pastor Search Committee. One member of the committee observed, “Brandon is a faithful student of the Bible, who is very thoughtful and is gifted with theological depth and keen insight into people and their needs. He is an engaging preacher who mixes encouragement, humor, challenge, and inspiration into messages that not only illuminate the ancient world of the Bible, but also speak powerfully to the world we live in.”

Brandon described First Baptist as “…a place marked more by love and commonality of mission, than homogenous ideologies. You…are beloved and beautiful, the kind of people I can imagine myself walking alongside as we all seek where God is leading us next.”

Brandon Hudson follows Phil Christopher as the senior pastor at FBC. Phil retired from the church in September 2021 after 26 years of service. Brandon becomes the nineteenth pastor that First Baptist has had, since the church’s founding in 1881, the same year as the founding of the city of Abilene. He is only the fifth senior pastor for the church in the last 70 years.

Our congregation invites you to join with us as Brandon Hudson begins his ministry in our congregation.