TULSA—The 2026 Oklahoma Baptists Pastors’ Conference provided pastors with encouragement and fellowship, guiding them on how to be ‘Devoted to Prayer.’ The event began with a welcome from Jeff DeGiacomo, pastor of Shawnee, Immanuel and president of the 2026 Pastors’ Conference.
Brian Kennedy, pastor of Ontario, Cal., Mt. Zion, then encouraged pastors to prioritize prayer in their lives. Pulling from Acts 6:1-7, Kennedy said that prayer is the “secret sauce” in our private and public lives. Prayer is a conduit of God’s power. Through prayer and faithfulness, the early church was able to grow despite the persecution they 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.”
In closing, Kennedy reminded pastors that as people respond to the preaching and teaching of God’s Word, the church will grow.
After worship, led by Shawnee, Immanuel’s praise team, Todd Kaunitz, pastor of New Beginnings church in East Texas focused on how important the Holy Spirit is in the church.
Calling Him “The Missing Ingredient” in a lot of churches, Kaunitz said seeking the Holy Spirit should be our priority.
“Without the Holy Spirit, a church cannot grow or prosper,” Kaunitz said. “We must submit to the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Kaunitz concluded saying that to advance the Gospel, the church needs to rely on God’s supernatural help.
Following another time of worship, Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention executive committee, spoke from a personal testimony to conclude the morning session. He emphasized the importance of developing a prayer team for spiritual support when life gets tough.
“Leaders have remarkable spiritual power, but no leader is powerful all the time,” he said.
Iorg shared from a time in his life when he desperately needed a prayer team and how God led people in his life to become that support for him. Now, Iorg relies on that team daily to refuel his spiritual battery.
“I have a sense of spiritual recovery that I depend on daily,” Iorg said. “Through that prayer team, I’ve met some of the finest Christians in the world.
The afternoon session began with recognizing an outstanding bivocational pastor with the J.B. Rounds Award. The award, named in honor of JB Rounds, one of the founders of Falls Creek and leader of Oklahoma Baptists, is meant to highlight the importance of recognizing those who labor in smaller or underserved churches while also maintaining other careers. This year, Shawnee, Galilee pastor Tony Rhone was the recipient of the award.
Following worship, Heath Tucker, lead pastor of Edmond, Waterloo Road, spoke on intercessory prayer. Using James 5: 13-18 as reference, Tucker reminded pastors that prayer is the first thing all followers of Christ should rely on.
“We hold on to prayer as our last resort when it should be the first thing we go to,” he said.
Tucker shared a personal story from when his daughter was undergoing heart surgery. There were some days, he said, when the anxiety was so intense he could hardly get out of bed. On those days, Tucker would ask a close-knit group of friends for prayer support. When he did that, Tucker said he could feel the embrace, the power of the Holy Spirit comforting him. He concluded with a reminder that we cannot rely on our own power.
“If left up to my own righteousness, nothing happens,” Tucker said. “Through the Lord, our prayers are effective.”
Following Tucker, 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.
From left: 1st Vice-President Nick Johnson, President Michael Taylor and 2nd Vice-President Braden Buss
Second to speak in the afternoon was Nathon Lino, pastor at Forney, Texas, First. Lino pulled from 1 Timothy, saying that it is a blueprint for how to build the church and a cornerstone of the church must be prayer.
“If you make prayer the priority and learn how to pray together, you will be transformed,” Lino said. “All you have to do is take baby steps in the direction of obedience and God’s grace will follow.”
Then, the inaugural Endurance Award was presented to Alton Fannin, pastor of Ardmore, First.
Pauls, Valley, Trinity pastor Andy Harrison then spoke on how to pray fervently. He emphasized the importance of constant, powerful prayers.
“All it takes is one crisis to realize how many lazy prayers we’ve offered up for our families over the years,” Harrison said.
He also reminded pastors to pray from the heart.
“Jesus taught us that it’s not what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out of his heart,” Harrison said. “The Gospel is the solution that benefits everything.”
Guidestone President and CEO Hance Dillbeck was the final speaker for the conference. He focused on the key elements of a persevering prayer, those being listening and expression.
“Learn how to be men and women who can pour out our hearts to the Lord,” Dillbeck said. “Be still enough to hear from the Lord.”
He concluded his time by reminding pastors that God is where the power of prayer comes from and that God is the one Who builds the church.
“It’s not my job to have it all under control,” Dillbeck said. “We are the under-shepherds, and we know who the Chief Shepherd is; and He is on His throne.”
Oklahoma Baptists Executive Director-Treasurer Todd Fisher closed the Pastors’ Conference with prayer and invited those who attended to return later that evening for the Oklahoma Baptists 2026 Annual Meeting.
