On Sunday, March 27, 2022, Central Baptist Church in Tyler will honor Kim Beckham with a retirement service celebrating 35 years as lead pastor of their church. Pastor Kim announced his retirement in October, 2021. The church has been making preparations for this event for several months. On this day of celebration, the service will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at noon, followed by a delicious “dinner on the grounds” for all who attend.
Pastor Beckham, his wife, Barbara and their two daughters, Jessica & Amanda, came to Central Baptist Church on Sunday, March 29, 1987. He received a 98% vote from the church to call him as pastor. Kim Beckham was called to full-time ministry at the age of 16, while on a mission trip to Mexico. He has served as the lead pastor of two thriving churches over his 45 years in ministry. His first pastorate was a church he started near Aubrey and Pilot Point, Texas called Midway Baptist Church. He was pastor there for ten years and built the church to an average weekly attendance of 450, when God called him to Central in Tyler. In the almost 90- year history of Central Baptist Church, Pastor Kim is the longest serving pastor.
During the past 35 years, Kim Beckham has spent much of that time leading the people of his congregation to commit their lives to Christ, “grow” in their faith through reading God’s Word and prayer, as well as challenging them to serve others and lead others to Christ. He has led the congregation in two large remodeling projects of the sanctuary, the remodeling of two education buildings and their gymnasium, plus the building of our student center for our teens. He also led the church to complete a house for missionaries to stay in while in the states on furlough. In addition, he taught the importance of the church’s involvement in local and world-wide missions. He & his wife, Barbara, (along with many church members) have traveled to many mission works across the world including Europe, China, the Philippines, Central & South America and Africa. They have also traveled to the Holy Land and enjoyed the experience of seeing where Christ lived and ministered during His Life here on Earth. Pastor Beckham has been an active leader in the Baptist Bible Fellowship, holding offices in both the East Texas and the Texas State Fellowship.
Pastor Beckham loves to learn and has a passion for personal development. He received his Master’s Degree from Louisiana Baptist Theological Seminary and is also a graduate of the Leadership Tyler Training Program. He actively serves on the board of the Tyler Chamber of Commerce and has served as the development director for the Azleway Children’s Home here in Tyler. He is a published author of two books: Letters to the Heart: How to Say the Things that Matter Most to those Who Mean the Most to You and Hidden Dangers: Combatting Threats to Healthy Relationships. He is currently working on a third book to be published soon.
Kim & Barbara’s two grown daughters and their families reside in the Tyler area and are active members in our church. The church has already called Pastor Beckham’s successor, Joel Byers. Joel has been on the staff of Central for ten years and serving as the executive pastor during the last three, so the transition should go very smoothly for the church. The Beckhams plan to continue to live in Tyler and be involved with the ministry at Central. Also, Pastor Kim will be taking opportunities during his retirement to speak at various churches and events, plus traveling with his wife while continuing to build his Leadership Training and Executive Coaching business. Pastor Beckham has said, “I am thrilled that Pastor Joel is taking the baton and leading the church forward to the next generation. I am excited to see Central Baptist Church continue to grow and reach people for the cause of Christ for many years to come.”