Bobby Dagnel began his ministry as the senior pastor of First Baptist Church Lubbock in August, 2002. Pastor Dagnel and his wife, Patti, have two children, Courtney and Hunter. Born in Tyler, Texas, Bobby completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas in Tyler, majoring in Business Management; his Master’s of Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; and is finalizing his doctoral project regarding bioethical issues related to organ donation at George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University, where Dagnel serves on the Board of Regents, and the Board of Advisors for the Center For Ministry Effectiveness. He has also had the privilege of serving as the guest Chaplain for the U.S. House of Representatives in September of 2004.
"Though I had the privilege of growing up in a wonderfully loving and supportive family that was morally and ethically straight, it was not a Christian home. My only exposure to the Gospel was through the Vacation Bible School of my Grandmother's church. It was in this context that I came to understand that I was a sinner and that God loved me to such a degree that He sent His Son to die for me on Calvary's cross. Though I would not yet commit my life to Christ, the knowledge of what I knew about Him and what He had done for me would haunt me all the days of my youth. Through my high school years, I had everything a young man deemed important - success in athletics and an identity with the so-called "in crowd". Little did anyone know how miserable I was in the depths of my soul.
"After being suspended from the University of Oklahoma, I returned home to find that my mother had arranged for me a job with an engineering firm as a welder's helper. Her statement to me was, 'You will now find out how badly you want an education.'
"I had only been on the job a couple of months when the man I was working with asked me about my relationship with the Lord. I came under such conviction that I lied to the man and told him that I was a Christian. He said, 'Isn't it the most wonderful thing. I became a Christian just a few months ago and I am still overwhelmed by the grace God has shown to me.'
"I knew that day would not end until I had in my life what that man had in his. The only pastor I knew was Paul Powell, having been in the same graduating class with his oldest son, Kent. I drove around the block of Paul's home that evening from 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm, waiting for him to arrive home. When he answered the door, I told him I wanted to get my life pointed in some direction and I wanted to begin by committing my life to the Lord. He took me back to his study where he explained the plan of salvation. We then knelt together on the floor and I prayed, giving my life to the Lord. It was like putting gasoline to a fire! He was everything I had been searching for and provided the direction for life that I so desperately needed.
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"Within just a few months, I knew through an inward compelling of the Holy Spirit, coupled with the counsel of mature Christians I admired, that the Lord was calling me into the ministry. I had always been terribly afraid of public speaking, almost to the point of being phobic. I refused to do oral book reports in high school, taking instead a zero, even though I had done the written work. I tried to compromise with the Lord and say that I would do any area of ministry but the pastorate, but there was no escaping the burden He placed on my heart to preach the Word. I would just have to trust the Lord to equip me for the task to which I had been called.
"During this time I met, in church, a beautiful young lady by the name of Patti, who would eventually become my wife. Knowing that before seminary I had to complete my undergraduate degree, we knew it would be foolish to marry until this task had been completed. By now, I had become a certified welder and was working 60 hours a week. Instead of quitting my job, I decided to finish my degree at night, which I did by taking 12 hours each semester over the next two and a half years. I could have taken an easier path at my parent's expense, but I determined after wasting their hard earned money at the University of Oklahoma that they would never spend another dime on my education. They offered, but I refused. Even while in seminary, two friends and I worked 30 hours a week mowing lawns while taking 15-hour semesters.
"After serving as a staff member in two large churches, I was finally able to pursue the pastoral calling God had placed on my heart. Through it all, I have found Him faithful to the calling. I consider myself a prime example of the fact that God rarely calls the extraordinary, but most often the plain and ordinary to fulfill His purposes. God is not interested in our marketability but our availability."
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