Pastor Garland Autry serves as Community Pastor at Fellowship Bible Church. Here, he stands in the lobby of the church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. | Photo credit: Lauren Davidson
For many people who dedicate their lives to ministry, there is one specific moment they can recall that initially drew them to ministry. For Garland Autry, an Arkansas native and the current Community Pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Northwest Arkansas, his path to ministry was slower and steadier.
Born in Little Rock, Autry has remained loyal to his home state. At the age of eight, he moved to Bentonville, Ark., a town he says was “not what it is now.” Having watched the area boom from a small community to the larger city it is today, the move brought him closer to Fayetteville, where his dad resided after his parents split when he was two.
Though he grew up going to church, he wouldn’t necessarily describe it as a “Christian environment.” Autry said that if you asked him what the Bible was back then, he would’ve given basic and indecisive answers rooted in what he called a “Southern guilt-based view of the Gospel.” Back then, he chalked it up to a story of rules that he didn’t understand and a surface-level understanding of Jesus dying on the cross to pay for imperfect human sins.
That was until he met his middle school small group, or “cell group,” at Fellowship. From seventh-grade to 12th grade, he had the same leader, Joe Falcon. Falcon was a normal guy, but what stuck with Autry was his consistent presence and love for the entire group.
“He showed us how to read the Bible, and pray and all of that,” said Autry. “It started to make sense.”
Falcon’s consistency in Autry’s life deepened in 10th grade when Autry started meeting one-on-one with Falcon. Walking through the Bible’s book of Romans together, Falcon helped him realize that the story he had in mind about the Bible wasn’t the right one. It was then that Autry said, “the truth of the Gospel made sense, and not just a Southern version of it.”
“We’ll all point to Jesus one day in Heaven,” Autry said. “But I’ll be pointing through Joe Falcon.”
When it came time for college, Autry ended up at the University of Arkansas, a decision that he jokes “was fated by the will of God,” given his legacy there goes back to his great-grandparents. As an English major, Autry led a cell group, mirroring the presence that Falcon provided for him.
He has been leading ministries in various capacities ever since.
“I didn’t plan on going into ministry full-time,” Autry admitted. “It still kind of surprises me.”
His call to full-time ministry was never a powerful moment, but a continued obedience to the Lord’s plans, he said.
“My call to ministry is not all that crazy,” Autry said. “It wasn’t like at 16 I felt this call to ministry, a lot of people talk about that… but here we sit, 20 years later.”
Right as Autry was graduating from college, a job at Fellowship opened that seemed like the perfect fit. Taking this position in 2006, he initially intended to stay for only a few years, yet he has remained there. He served in the student ministry and as a college pastor at Fellowship before becoming a Community Pastor. He said he can’t imagine doing anything but working at Fellowship now.
Autry has found that his favorite part of being a pastor is the challenge it presents. Whether it’s being there on a couple’s wedding day, helping a family through the grieving process or preparing to share God’s word, he loves it all. Autry is committed to living out the truth that “pastors are just normal people. They are not heroes, they’re not celebrities, and they’re not holier. They’re just trying to point people to the story as best they can.”
Autry’s pursuit of theological education followed the pattern of his call to ministry. He didn’t go to seminary directly out of college but rather took classes while he worked at Fellowship. This was supported by Fellowship’s practice of “look[ing] at people that are doing ministry and are good at it and making disciples,” Autry said. He decided he would take one class, and if he liked it, he would take another one. This led him to earn a master’s degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and eventually a PhD in New Testament from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2024.
With his main motivation being sharing the Gospel, what he calls “the better story,” and helping Christians understand it better, he plans to stick around Northwest Arkansas. He could see himself retiring here, driven not only by his work but by his wife, Sarah, and their three kids.
Autry’s character is well-known around his community. His co-worker, Clark Nolen, also a pastor at Fellowship NWA, calls Autry a “gifted, complex and high-character man of God.” Nolen has shared many memories with Autry, from being neighbors to watching Autry become a great dad and an intentional husband. Nolen also pointed back to Autry’s welcoming character and hospitality by noting the cars consistently in Autry’s driveway. It’s a recurring cast of visitors there simply because people wanted to be in Autry’s presence.
Nolen’s favorite memory, however, happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The church was closed, but Autry was determined to find a way for the community to continue to come together. The two ended up holding a neighborhood church on Autry’s front lawn, where Autry would lead worship, and they would give a message each week.
“He was willing to do whatever it took to make church happen when the doors were closed. Nolen said. “It captures more than just that moment.”
The story of Garland Autry is proof of a life dedicated to service, built on faithfulness, mentorship, and an everlasting commitment to the better story of the Gospel.