Pictured Above: BCF Graduates Raymond O”Quinn, Naethan Hendrix, and Brian Taylor faithfully serving in church plants.
GRACEVILLE–The Baptist College of Florida (BCF) in Graceville is committed to teaching students the importance of church planting, reaching the lost and serving wherever God leads.
That church planting legacy can be seen in six BCF graduates currently serving in churches with a unique connection to each other, demonstrating a valuable story of God’s blessings, increase and church plants.
One of those legacy holders is Luther Pumphrey, a 1988 BCF graduate who serves as the pastor of First Baptist Church in Campbellton, located in Jackson County. The congregation, established in 1825 as Bethlehem Baptist Church, is the oldest continuously functioning church cooperating with the Florida Baptist Convention. From that one congregation many churches have been reproduced.
In 1865 the Campbellton congregation identified a need for a gospel church in nearby Graceville and planted the Damascus Baptist Church there. Now 150 years later Brian Taylor, a 2001 BCF graduate, serves the church as pastor.
Thirty years after its birth, Damascus Baptist Church launched First Baptist Church in Graceville in 1896. Naethan Hendrix, a 2002 BCF graduate, has led the congregation as pastor since 2018.
Harmony Baptist Mission Church where 1979 BCF graduate Raymond O’Quinn is the pastor, continued the heritage when it was established in 1986 by First Baptist Church of Graceville.
Harmony Church has planted two churches–the Harmony Mission in Wauchula led by 2001 BCF graduate Christopher Bishop and Harmony Baptist Church on St. Vincent Island, led by 2007 BCF graduate Jeffrey McDowall.
The significance of this church planting legacy is that one church body saw a need for a gospel preaching congregation and through its faithfulness, five new churches were established and are currently led by BCF graduates.
“The history of BCF is centered on preparing those individuals who will serve in the local church,” said BCF President Thomas A. Kinchen.
“The BCF legacy is shown in fantastic fashion with the lineage of its alumni in the history of Florida Baptist churches. When BCF graduates lead, churches grow; people are saved and new congregations are planted. The DNA of service through the local church runs deep in the history, the present and the future of The Baptist College of Florida.”
BCF mission professors constantly teach about church planting and leaders identifying a need in their communities where God can be glorified and worshipped. Members in each of these churches understood the significance of reproducing and planting new churches, missions and reaching more people with the gospel.
For more information on how you can become a student and ultimately a graduate of The Baptist College of Florida, please call 800.328.2660 or visit the website at baptistcollege.edu.