On Sunday, March 27, 2022, Kim Beckham retired after 35 years of serving as senior pastor of Central Baptist Church of Tyler, TX. There were many special guests, including former staff, local community leaders, and BBFI Communication Director Randy Harp, who presented Beckham with a certificate proclaiming the day Kim Beckham day in the BBFI. In his final sermon as pastor, Beckham shared, “You were the church of my dreams, and it has been a dream come true to lead you these past 35 years.”
On Sunday, April 3, Joel Byers was installed as the new pastor. Byers has been on staff at Central Baptist for ten years, the last three serving as executive pastor. Byers stated on his first Sunday, “I am humbled and honored to be the pastor of Central Baptist Church,” as he began his first sermon series introducing the eight core values that define Central Baptist. He shared, “The best part of my first Sunday was two people joining the church and having one salvation during the service.”