Historic Abilene church seeks new senior pastor after sudden resignation following ‘horrific decision’

ABILENE, Texas ( KTAB/KRBC ) – After an abrupt resignation from a lead pastor, the First Baptist Church of Abilene is searching for their 20th senior pastor in the church’s 143-year history.

At the end of the church’s Sunday service on April 7, Dr. Bob Ellis, FBC Abilene member who was on the senior pastor search committee which ultimately hired Brandon Hudson in 2021, read Hudson’s letter to his congregation aloud.

“‘With a broken heart, I am writing to let you know of my immediate resignation as your senior pastor at First Baptist Church Abilene. In the same breath, I want to let you know that I love you,'” Dr. Ellis read Hudson’s words about an hour and 11 minutes into the live stream service . “‘Over the past several months, I have struggled to deal with concurrent of grief and stress that have placed me in mental strain… These factors culminated in an episode of horrific decision making.'”

That ‘horrific decision’ Hudson references is believed to be a misdemeanor Driving While Intoxicated charge out of Scurry County in late March.

Dr. Ellis then read his own statement aloud, addressing both Hudson and the church. In his statement, he expressed gratitude towards the former pastor and his family, and explained how forgiving Christ is. After Dr. Ellis stepped away, another FBC Abilene pastor, Pastor Mike Greenfield, invited the church to a Q-and-A session which was held the following Tuesday night.

Pastor Greenfield told KTAB/KRBC this unprecedented resignation is not uncommon to their church system, “You just have to take it as it comes, and so, in this case, with the resignation, then it kicks into gear our bylaws and our processes for us… The church will be looking at the next few weeks, selecting a pastor search committee.”

Brandon Hudson began his ministry with the First Baptist Church of Abilene in February 2023, making him the church’s 19th senior pastor. In an interview with online faith forum, Spirit of Abilene , Pastor Greenfield said Hudson was not ‘asked ‘forced’ to resign.

“Obviously, [we] tried to find someone who would fit in with who we are and understand we’re from Abilene, and we’re Texas, and we’re Baptist, and we’re all the things that mix together,” said Pastor Greenfield.

In the meantime, there isn’t a set timeline to find the church’s 20th senior pastor. Instead, they’re focused on finding the right person for not just the job, but the church just as well.

Spirit of Abilene listed the following guest pastors through May 12, as a search committee for a permanent replacement is put together:

• April 21- Jerry Hendrix
• April 28- Ken Lyle Jr.
• May 5- Larry McGraw
• May 12- Hunter Brown; current pastor for youth at FBC Abilene

The church was founded just months after the City of Abilene in 1881, being one of the oldest churches in the city still standing. Pastor Greenfield told KTAB/KRBC the history of the church plays a big role when picking their leader.

Prior to selecting Brandon Hudson to lead the church, Phil Christopher was senior pastor for 26 years. In the time between pastors Christopher and Hudson, Matt Cook served as interim pastor.

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