The pastor of one of the most prominent Baptist churches in West Texas resigned April 7, two weeks after being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Brandon Hudson, 44, was arrested on U.S. Hwy. 84 near Snyder, Texas, on Saturday afternoon, March 23, while driving from Lubbock to Abilene. That was the day before Palm Sunday. Hudson last preached in a Sunday morning service at First Baptist Church of Abilene on March 17. He was absent from the pulpit both Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.
Brandon Hudson
At the conclusion of the April 7 morning service, Bob Ellis, who was chairman of First Baptist Church’s Pastor Search Committee, read aloud Hudson’s letter of resignation. Ellis was asked to read the letter at the request of the both the chair of deacons and chair of the Personnel Committee. He read the letter and called upon the congregation to pray for Hudson and his family.
Although details of the DUI incident have not been made public, church leaders have been transparent with church members about what happened and about differences of opinion within the congregation about whether the pastor should have resigned.
Hudson had been the church’s pastor little more than a year, arriving in February 2023. He followed Phil Christopher, who retired after serving the church 27 years. Hudson is a Lubbock native who earned degrees from Texas Tech University and Baylor University’s Truett Seminary.
First Baptist Abilene has been a prominent church in Texas for decades, a leader in missions and ministry and also influential because of its proximity to Hardin-Simmons University. The church is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
In his resignation letter, Hudson said he was leaving the pastorate “with a broken heart.”
“Over the past several months, I have struggled to deal with concurrent issues of grief and stress that have placed me in mental strain,” he wrote. “I have not dealt well or fully with the emotions that have been attached to those griefs and stresses. These factors culminated in an episode of horrific decision making. A decision I regret and am already working to address in multiple ways.”
He told the church he did not seek “any exoneration on my choice” but hoped to encourage them “to take care of one another, to seek help when you need it, and to practice vulnerability about your struggles.”
In a video of the April 7 service, members of the congregation — including lay leaders — are seen weeping. A prayer service and question-and-answer time for the congregation held Tuesday, April 9, reportedly was attended by about 300 people.