Baptist History, Heritage and Distinctives – Ben M. Bogard – Founded Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock, ARK – Part TWO

Thomas E Kresal January 22, 2020

Baptist History, Heritage and Distinctives – Ben M. Bogard – Founded Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock, ARK Part TWO

He left the Southern Baptist Convention in 1905 and later formed the American Baptist Association, commonly called Missionary Baptists. Bogard came to Arkansas in 1899 as pastor of First Baptist Church in Searcy, White County, Arkansas, serving until November 1903. At various times from December 1903 to 1909, he was pastor of First Baptist Church in Argenta, now North Little Rock in Pulaski County. Then he became an itinerant minister, conducting evangelical revivals in seven states. He moved to Texarkana, Miller County, in 1914 and founded the Baptist Commoner which merged with the Arkansas Baptist in 1917 to form the Baptist and Commoner. In 1920, he became pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Little Rock, Pulaski County, where he remained until he retired in 1947.

Bogard resigned as editor of the Baptist and Commoner in 1931 after a dispute with its owner. In 1934, he started the Orthodox Baptist Searchlight newspaper and founded Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock. He was honored by Ripley’s Believe it or Not for preaching “every Sunday for 61 years without missing a single Sunday.”

Ben went to glory on May 29, 1951 and is buried at Roselawn Memorial Park in Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas.

Thomas E. Kresal from: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/40880684#