Craig Jenkins is the Lead Pastor of Beech Street First Baptist Church.  He began serving in Texarkana at Beech Street in June of 2007.  Craig (Fort Worth, TX) and Melanie (Camden, AR) met on the campus of Ouachita Baptist.  Craig and Melanie, have 3 sons - Ryan, Reid, and Rett.  Pastor Craig graduated with a BA in Biblical Studies from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas in 1992.  He earned a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX in 1996.  In addition, he completed 4 units of Clinical Pastoral Education in 1997.  Craig served as a hospital chaplain at Harris Methodist Health Systems and as Pastor of Westland Heights Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX.  After coming to Arkansas in 1997, Craig served as Pastor of First Baptist Church in Marked Tree for 3 years and Immanuel Baptist Church in Warren for 7 years before coming to Texarkana.

Pastor Craig has been a member of the Board of Trustees at Ouachita Baptist University since 2008.  He is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Arkansas Integrated Community Health Network affiliated with Christus St. Michael Health System in Texarkana.  He is currently serving on the Committee on Committee for the 2012-13 Southern Baptist Convention.  Craig is a former member of the Nominating Committee of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention and a former President of the Arkansas Baptist Pastor’s Conference in 2009.