Former executive director of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention Don Moore died Oct. 14 at the age of 91.
Moore served as the executive director of the ABSC from 1982 to 1995. In a 1982 Arkansas Baptist News article on his election, Moore was described as a “man who loves Jesus,” who “preaches the word,” and as a man who “could raise our sights” as a state convention. During his time as ABSC executive director, it was reported that membership in Arkansas Baptist churches increased nearly 50,000 while annual gifts through the Cooperative Program grew by more than $6 million.
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Prior to his ministry as executive director, Moore served 12 years as pastor of Grand Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Smith. During his tenure at Grand Avenue, church membership increased 59%, from 1,910 to over 3,000, and Sunday School enrollment increased 70 percent, from 1,583 in 1970 to 2,697 in 1981. He led the church to the top five in the state in total giving through the Cooperative Program.
Moore was president of the Arkansas Baptist Pastors’ Conference in 1972, served two terms as president of the state convention in 1974–1975 and was co-chairman of a 1976 statewide evangelistic campaign. He also served as a member of the state executive board and the Baptist Building Study Committee, was president of the BSU Advisory Committee, and served as vice chairman of the Ouachita Baptist University board of trustees from 1977 to 1981. He also served on the Southern Baptist Convention Committee on Committees.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Mary Alford and originally published by Arkansas Baptist News.
