Oklahoma Baptists’ 2026 Pastors’ Conference Encourages Pastors to Be ‘Devoted to Prayer’

The 2026 Oklahoma Baptists Pastors’ Conference encouraged pastors to be “Devoted to Prayer,” according to a report in the Baptist Messenger. The event opened with a welcome from Jeff DeGiacomo, pastor of Shawnee, Immanuel and president of the 2026 Pastors’ Conference.

Brian Kennedy, pastor of Mt. Zion in Ontario, California, encouraged pastors to prioritize prayer in their lives. Drawing on Acts 6:1-7, Kennedy said prayer is the “secret sauce” in private and public life and described it as a conduit of God’s power. He said the early church grew through prayer and faithfulness despite the persecution it faced.

“Prioritized prayer is the secret sauce to give Jesus a lifetime of faithful service,” Kennedy said. “Pray because people happen to people at the church. Make it a habit to happen to people in a positive way.”

After worship led by the praise team from Shawnee, Immanuel, Todd Kaunitz, pastor of New Beginnings church in East Texas, spoke about the Holy Spirit. Calling the Spirit “The Missing Ingredient” in many churches, Kaunitz said seeking the Holy Spirit should be a priority. “Without the Holy Spirit, a church cannot grow or prosper,” he said, adding, “We must submit to the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, closed the morning session with a personal testimony. He emphasized the importance of developing a prayer team for spiritual support when life becomes difficult. “Leaders have remarkable spiritual power, but no leader is powerful all the time,” he said. Iorg described a period when he desperately needed such a team and said that people God placed in his life became that support. He said he still relies on the team daily. “Through that prayer team, I’ve met some of the finest Christians in the world,” he said.

The afternoon session included the presentation of the J.B. Rounds Award to Tony Rhone, pastor of Galilee in Shawnee, who is bivocational. The award is named for JB Rounds, one of the founders of Falls Creek and a leader of Oklahoma Baptists, and recognizes pastors who serve smaller or underserved churches while also maintaining other careers.

Heath Tucker, lead pastor of Waterloo Road in Edmond, then spoke on intercessory prayer, using James 5:13-18 as his reference. “We hold on to prayer as our last resort when it should be the first thing we go to,” he said. Tucker described a period when his daughter underwent heart surgery and the anxiety was so intense on some days that he could hardly get out of bed. On those days he asked a close-knit group of friends to pray with him, and he said he felt the embrace and comfort of the Holy Spirit through their support, a picture of comfort received through fellow believers (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). “If left up to my own righteousness, nothing happens,” Tucker said. “Through the Lord, our prayers are effective.”

Following Tucker’s message, the 2027 Oklahoma Baptists Pastors’ Conference officers were elected. Nick Johnson was elected first vice-president, Brayden Buss was elected second vice-president and Michael Taylor was elected president.

Source: Read the original report