05 Dec 2024 A man with a mission
By Rita Halter Thomas
Learning the Word, living the Word, and loving people are principles Don Chandler has applied to ministry for 57 years. “You cannot talk to a man about God until you talk to God about a man,” he said, emphasizing prayer as key. Chandler currently serves as the senior pastor of Central Baptist Church in Conway, a congregation he has led for 45 years.
Serving that long in one location is itself phenomenal, and equally unique is to have all his children and each of their families as members of the same church. Until Maggie, his wife of 53 years, passed in 2020, there were 15 Chandler family members at church every Sunday, always dining together afterward. “My wife and I could not have been, for all those years, any more blessed,” he said of the privilege to pastor all his children and their spouses, and to pastor and baptize all seven grandchildren.
Central Baptist Church, established in 1952 on the corner of Lee and Watkins streets, saw an average Sunday attendance under 100 when Chandler came. Under his care, the church grew to more than 350 in attendance over the next 20 years. Literally running out of room to build or park, they sold the property and purchased 30 acres on Dave Ward Drive, their current location. Average attendance now exceeds a thousand. “We average about 110 to 115 additions every year,” Chandler said. “It’s an active church and folks keep joining. It’s just been a wonderful experience,” he said.
It takes a lot of hands to shepherd the sizable flock. Chandler feels blessed to have hired some of the best staff ministers available, and credits God for bonding them together in service. “We are great friends…I have a remarkable staff. I have surrounded myself with guys who know what they are supposed to do and how to do it, and I have tried my best to let them do that,” he said.
Wanda May, director of membership care, has served with Chandler the longest, for 44 of his 45 years. “Having been a member since birth, I’ve been through several pastors. He has been a great shepherd and leader for our church,” she said, adding that Chandler is also a good mentor and friend to others in the ministry.
“One of my passions is to leave behind what God has taught me along the way,” Chandler said. After a trip to Israel in the early 1970s, Chandler was inspired. Since then he has taken 20 trips, leading more than 500 others to the Holy Land, trips he says contributed to everyone’s spiritual growth.
“Our folks are very aware of missions. We support national and international and local missions,” he said. Locally, the church gives to Renewal Ranch, Soaring Wings Ranch and Life Choices. Nationally, the church gives through state associations being dually aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist Missionary Association. Internationally, the church is heavily involved in Guatemala, making several trips annually to take medical teams and share the gospel. The church also supports a full-time missionary couple serving in Budapest, Hungary.
Central Baptist Church serves the local community by hosting events like the annual Drive Through Christmas. Visitors drive through the parking lot, then wind their way through scenes of Bethlehem and Jerusalem to view the manger scene, a marketplace, live animals, and members dressed in Bible-period costumes. This year, Drive Through Christmas is 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, December 5-7.
Chandler builds relationships. “You are somebody’s preacher when you stand before them and teach every Sunday, but you become their pastor when you visit in the hospital, [preach] a funeral service of a loved one, marry their kids, or counsel with them…that is how you become somebody’s pastor,” he said.
When asked the secret to his service longevity, Chandler said, “You cannot lead people that you don’t love. Paul said if you have all the spiritual gifts mentioned in scripture and you don’t have love, you don’t have anything,” he said, reiterating the need to spend “mega time” in prayer.
To learn more about Central Baptist Church, visit conwaycentralchurch.org.
