COVER STORY 18 SEPTEMBER 2023 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition From the sawgrass to the beach, two Jesus-loving churches have joined forces in a unique partnership that maintains their individual distinctions under the leadership of one pastor, while creating a powerful spiritual synergy that is breathing new life into one of the oldest churches in Fort Lauderdale. Raised in South Florida, Pastor David Hughes, lead pastor of Church by the Glades, one of the fastest growing churches in the county, known for its creative approach and high-energy music, took on a second role in June as Lead Pastor of First Baptist Fort Lauderdale. A 115-year-old historic church, First Baptist Fort Lauderdale is an iconic landmark in downtown Fort Lauderdale that was in decline after the impact of COVID and four tumultuous years of controversial leadership by former Pastor James Welch over confrontations with congregants, financial transparency and the cancelling of the beloved Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant after a 36-year run. Pastor Hughes said he has felt called to First Baptist Fort Lauderdale for over a decade! It all started 12 years ago when Former First Baptist Fort Lauderdale Pastor Larry Thompson suggested Hughes conduct a Church by the Glades service on Saturday nights at the Fort Lauderdale church to attract more youth to the congregation. Hughes said, “I prayed about that for about for about three seconds and said, ‘Larry I would love to!’ It’s one of the most unselfish Kingdom things I’ve ever heard. However, when he took it back to his leadership team, they weren’t comfortable with it, so it never happened, but that’s what lit the fire in me… I have driven by Broward Boulevard arguing with God for 10 years, saying, ‘Come on Lord, I don’t understand.’” In retrospect, Hughes said he believes it all comes around to “God’s timing is God’s timing.” With 25 years of pastoral experience, Hughes calls himself the Abraham generation and says he’s raised up an Isaac generation of young leaders who now direct efforts at Church by the Glades, where the focus is heavily on reaching the unchurched based on the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20. Resurrecting the church Formerly known as Coral Baptist Church in the 80ies, Church by the Glades grew out of a similar situation. Hughes explained, “Coral Baptist had a very kind and loving pastor who retired. However, in the years before I came here, there were a couple of staff-led divisions and splits. They started other churches within blocks and there were a lot of hurt feelings. The church went from 900 in attendance to 470, so it didn’t totally fall apart but everything was trending the wrong way. At the time it was almost all senior adults. When the interim pastor became suddenly ill, I was invited to speak one week and stayed, then eventually we saw God resurrect what was a dying church.” Today Church by the Glades is a thriving church, known for its “No Perfect People Allowed” slogan and high-quality video production, with more than 6,000 in attendance weekly at its three campus locations. A graduate of Baylor University, Hughes earned a Master of Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also somewhat of a showman. Having worked as a former model and actor, he appeared in commercials, magazine ads, infomercials and feature films, which begs the question: does he plan to resurrect the Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant? “If this had happened 12 years ago it may have been a different story, but practically speaking, it’s not even a possibility right now,” Hughes answered. “The pageant people see first Baptist as the pageant church, and we were, and it was great. The pageant had purpose in its day, but now we’re just kind of building back.” Reflecting back on his 22 years at First Baptist Fort Lauderdale, Thompson said, “When I met David, I said, oh man, there's a kindred spirit. I love the guy. He's a great communicator with a commitment to the Lord Jesus who is able to love the people. I have great admiration for David, and I don’t think Fort Lauderdale could have done any better than that, so I’m really excited to see what God is going to do.” In a video message during Pastor Hughes’ first official service at First Baptist, Former First Baptist Fort Lauderdale Pastor Dr. O.S. Hawkins, recalled, “I’ve known David for decades. When he was a young teenage boy, he used to come up to the church and meet with me, and I saw such potential in him that has been so fulfilled… We’re thrilled to hear that David and Lisa Hughes are there in view of a call to pastor First Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale, and there’s an extra bonus in their son Charlie, who I’m proud to say is now a student at Southwestern Seminary where I’m now Chancellor, and he’s one of the greatest young preachers in America. So I’m thrilled.” An innovative partnership Now the pastor of two churches, Hughes emphasized, “This is not a merger. It is a partnership that helps both churches. It gives CBG a place to reach, and it gives First Baptist resources, help, energy, volunteers.” The innovative union maintains two separate churches with two separate governances and structures. And when it comes to worship, Hughes said although CBG David Hughes: One Pastor, Two Churches Shelly Pond Good News Editor Church by the Glades Pastor David Hughes
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