Pastor Brad Graves to Speak at OBU Chapel on November 5

October 31, 2025

OBU will welcome Pastor Brad Graves as the chapel speaker on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 10 a.m. in the Recreation and Wellness Center.

Graves is the senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Dover, Fla. He most recently served as the senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Ada for the past nine and a half years. Before that, he pastored, planted, and served in churches nationwide, including Arkansas, Virginia, New Hampshire, Ohio, California and Missouri.

With a heart for church planting, Graves and his wife, Becky, formerly served as missionaries with the North American Mission Board (NAMB). Together, they have participated in numerous international mission trips, sharing the gospel and supporting churches worldwide. Graves has also taught courses on church planting, evangelism and church revitalization and has been a featured speaker at multiple pastors’ conferences.

Graves received his education at the University of Arkansas and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Known for his creativity and engaging communication style, he is deeply passionate about evangelism.

Graves has served on many local, state and national boards and committees and was elected as the first vice-president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 2024 to 2025.

Graves and his wife, Becky, have been married for 29 years and have four children (two adult sons married and serving in ministry and one son and one daughter still at home). His son, Noah, met his wife, Taylor, at OBU and they graduated in 2020 and 2021. They now reside in Northwest Arkansas with one daughter born in February 2024. Noah’s twin, Nathan, worked at OBU from 2023 to 2024. He and his wife, Mackenzie, now live in McKinney, Texas.

OBU’s chapel program regularly brings pastors, missionaries, educators and leaders to campus as part of its emphasis on spiritual formation. The service featuring Graves is open to students, faculty, staff and guests.