Pastor David's Retirement Statement
On Sunday, February 28, Dr. David Orlo Dykes, Senior Pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church, announced to the congregation his plans to retire on August 31, 2021. Dr. Dykes has been pastor of Green Acres since March of 1991. In the 66-year history of Green Acres, Dr. Dykes is the longest-serving pastor and the first to retire.
Green Acres has over 17,000 members and is known for its mission involvement locally and around the world. Dr. Dykes started preaching in 1970 and served three churches in Alabama before coming to serve in Tyler. Dr. Dykes has led mission teams to over thirty countries, and he and his wife, Cindy, have guided over two dozen tours to Israel.
Dr. Dykes graduated from Samford University, and received Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. In 2005, Dr. Dykes was engaged in post-doctoral studies at Cambridge University. He studied the subject of Biblical Art from the Renaissance Period. In 2017 he received an honorary doctorate from East Texas Baptist University.
He is the author of nineteen nonfiction books including: Handling Life’s Disappointments; Do Angels Really Exist?; The Spiritual Powerbook; Ten Requirements for America’s Survival; Daniel: Character out of Chaos; Angels Really Do Exist; Finding Peace in Your Pain; No, That’s Not in the Bible; Revelation: God’s Final Word; What Healthy Churches Do; What Healthy Pastors Do; How Healthy Disciples Live; Jesus: Storyteller; Hope When You Need it Most; Following Jesus in the Holy Land; Lord, Heal Our Land; Pastor David’s Travel Guide to Heaven; The Inside Job; and Starting Over in a Covid World: Lessons from the Story of Ruth.
Writing as David Orlo, Dr. Dykes has written a trilogy of action novels, The Cloudstrike Prophecy, The Jerusalem Protocol, and The Masada Proposal.
David and Cindy’s two grown daughters and their families reside in Tyler. He has served locally on the Boards of the American Red Cross, P.A.T.H., The Greater Tyler Chamber of Commerce, The Mother Frances Foundation, and Baptist Child and Family Services (Breckenridge Village). He has also served on the Board of Trustees for East Texas Baptist University and currently serves as a Trustee for LeTourneau University in Longview. He served ten years as a member of the Executive Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is a volunteer Chaplain with the Smith County Sheriff’s Department.
David and Cindy plan on living in Tyler and being involved with Green Acres after he retires. He is working with the leadership of the church to begin the process of choosing his replacement. Dr. Dykes has said, “I love Tyler and Green Acres. I’m praying that the church will find my replacement before I retire so there will be a seamless transition to the next pastor. I am looking forward to handing the baton to the next generation of younger leadership.”