GET TO KNOW:

BOBBY DAGNEL

PASTOR

Tell us a bit about yourself. When did you come to First Lubbock?

As a native east Texan, born and raised in Tyler, I came to First Lubbock in August of 2002 after having served seven years at FBC Nederland, five years at FBC Hemphill, and four years on the staffs of FBC Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler. Patti and I have been married for over thirty years, and we have two adult children, Courtney (employed by United Supermarkets) and Hunter (a mechanical engineer with Lockheed Martin). Two things that most people consider unusual for someone in my positions are that I never attended church until I became a Christian at age 21, and that being an introvert by nature, I had a phobic fear of public speaking through my entire educational experience.

What was your childhood dream job?

I never really had a childhood dream job. Like many boys, I dreamed and envisioned myself as a professional athlete. By college, I realized that, statistically, this just wasn't going to happen. I went to the University of Oklahoma to major in Petroleum Land Management with every intention of continuing on into oil and gas law.

What's your favorite place you've visited?

The most memorable place I've visited is the country of Kenya. From the national parks to the Great Rift Valley to the people and the sights, sounds, and smells of Nairobi, it is an experience of sensory overload.

Other than Jesus, what historical figure would you most like to meet?

Isaac Newton - While a renown physicist and mathematician and a leading figure in the scientific revolution, Newton was a devout Christian, albeit, an unorthodox expression of historic Christian doctrine. I would be curious as to how his faith drove him in his research and his voracious appetite for discovery.

C.S. Lewis - While some mistakenly refer to C.S. Lewis as a theologian, he was not. He was, however, an accomplished literary scholar. These literary gifts gave him a unique and nuanced insight to the biblical text, and any other text for that matter. I would want to ask him how he reads and what he sees when reading a text.

What are a few of your hobbies?

I enjoy competitive sports, bicycling, reading, and being outdoors.

What do you love most about First Lubbock?

I love her rich diversity, energy, passion, and far-reaching missional presence. While being three blocks from Texas Tech, a major research university, facilitates much of this, the primary catalyst for the vibrancy of our church is our people. Believing that our strategic location is providential, our people have long realized that with every graduating student we have the opportunity to disciple, we can impact the world. Instead of the "staid and established" status facing most downtown First Baptist Churches, we continue to be a dynamic and relevant voice with each succeeding generation.

What would you say to a guest to encourage them on their journey to finding a church home?

Knowing the formative role that a church family plays in the life of a devoted follower of Jesus, my counsel, as a minister of the gospel, would be that your quest for a church family should be more that finding a place to "go" to church, but rather, a place where you are encouraged and challenged to "be" the church, to embrace the missional task of being the presence of Christ at any given moment of the day, and to use your spiritual giftedness for the building up of the body of Christ - the church.