By Loretta Fulton

The long wait was worth it for members of First Baptist Church when a new pastor and his family moved to Abilene, bringing the energy that only a family with four young children can provide.

Ray Miller was named pastor on June 15 following a vote by the congregation and preached his first sermon in August. The Miller family consists of Ray, his wife Sarah, and daughters Abigail, 13; Katherine, 9; Emma, 6; and MacKenzie, 4. Sarah is a Marriage and Family Therapist. Abigail  is at Mann STEAM Academy, Katherine and Emma are at Austin Elementary School, and MacKenzie is at GLO (God’s Little Ones) daycare at First Baptist.

The family arrived in Abilene with much fanfare. First Baptist had been led for over a year by interim pastor Matt Cook, who heads the Center for Healthy Churches. He was selected as the interim pastor following the resignation in April 2024 of the former pastor. 

“We are excited about what God is doing in Abilene,” Miller said, “and look forward to partnering with our church in God’s mission here and around the world through FBC.”

Dr. Ray Miller

BIO
Family: Wife, Sarah; daughters, Abigail, 13; Katherine, 9; Emma, 6; MacKenzie, 4
Position: Senior pastor, First Baptist Church
Education: Bachelor of Arts in biblical languages from Oklahoma Baptist University, 2006; Master of Divinity from Baylor University’s Truett Seminary, 2009; Doctor of Ministry from Northern Seminary in Lyle, Illinois, 2018.
Previous experience: Pastored churches in Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, most recently, Crievewood Baptist Church in Nashville. 

Ray and Sarah Miller and daughters

Q Where did you grow up?
A I consider Beaumont home. We moved around a bit due to my parents being in ministry. Dad pastored churches in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas. 

Q At what age did you first feel the pull toward ordained ministry?
A I did not have a “camp moment” call toward ministry. My calling was more of an expression of who God made me to be. When I did an evaluation of my life heading towards college, I realized I loved three things – basketball, the Bible, and history. As I began to study the Bible critically in college, I fell in love with connecting the scriptures to people’s lives. From there I moved to Truett Seminary where I really fell in love with the local church and God’s vision mission of the local church.

Q Was anyone in your family background a minister?
A Yes – my dad is a still pastoring (he retired for a year and then came back) in Texas City. My in-laws are also retired Disciples of Christ ministers.

Q Is FBC the largest church you’ve led?
A Yes FBC is the largest we have led. I have been in all kinds of sizes and shapes of churches. I interned at FBC Arlington which gave me some mega-church experience. I have also pastored in rural Texas at FBC Mertens. From there I went to FBC Shawnee, Oklahoma, which is a county seat church with a Christian college as part of the town. Then we moved to Nashville where we pastored a neighborhood, multi-ethnic church.

Q Will you introduce any new programming or classes at FBC that you liked at your previous churches?
A My wife Sarah and I are already teaching a marriage class called “Tightening the Knot.” We have already made a slight adjustment in worship so that now the whole congregation prays the Lord’s Prayer each week together. My doctoral dissertation is on lament and learning how to grieve with God. Down the line I will introduce that class to our church as well. 

Q What was it about First Baptist Church that attracted you and your family?
A What attracted me the most was reading the history and discovering that FBC Abilene had done several fundraising campaigns not for themselves but for the benefit of others. I was so impressed by the footprint of outreach the church has had through the years. Then when my family visited Abilene for the first time in May, the church worked hard to make sure our kids would be landing in a safe and good place to grow up. Once they convinced our kids, it was not hard to make the decision to come here! 

Q Has Sarah established a marriage and family practice in Abilene or does she plan to?
A Sarah is in process of transferring her license from Tennessee. Once that is complete she will be establishing her practice here. 

Q You were an adjunct professor of Bible at Belmont University in Nashville. Have you inquired about teaching here, either at Hardin-Simmons University or in the Baptist Studies Center at Abilene Christian University?
A I do hope to have the opportunity to teach down the line. The classroom was a place of joy for me, and I would love the chance to teach again.