"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I; send me!'" (Isaiah 6: 6-8)

Rev. David B. Bentley came to First United Methodist Church of Rogers in November of 2006. Previously he had served over eight years as senior pastor at Winfield United Methodist Church in Little Rock. Rev. Bentley has more than thirty years of experience in the pastorate having served all of that time in Arkansas United Methodist Churches.

Pastor David's personal vision is to be "a servant of God who proclaims the Good News of Jesus Christ, teaches the way of Christ, and exemplifies the life of Christ."

Having heard God ask the question, "Who will preach to the Methodists?" David's personal mission is to make United Methodist disciples of Jesus Christ and to edify the United Methodist Church to the end that the Kingdom of God may be increased.

When asked what his core beliefs are his response has three parts.

• God is love.
• Jesus Christ is God with us.
• The Holy Spirit is God within us.

Pastor David says that there are five core values that influence his work as a pastor.

• The Good News is contagious.
• The gospel must be shared and communicated in a variety of ways.
• God expects the church to grow.
• The church exists for those who are not yet a part of its life.
• As United Methodist Christians we have something good to offer.

Out of these beliefs and values he as developed three simple personal objectives.

• To preach the grace of God.
• To make disciples of Jesus Christ.
• To teach and exemplify discipleship within the context of Wesleyan theology and United Methodist tradition.

Rev. Bentley is a native of Arkansas having been born in Little Rock in 1950. His parents are Rev. R. David Bentley and Geneva Stecks Bentley of Little Rock. After graduating Hall High school in 1968 he went on to get a B.A. in History from Arkansas State University and a Master of Divinity from Memphis Theological Seminary (Cumberland Presbyterian).

While serving as pastor of Winfield UMC in Little Rock, David met Sally Morgan whom he married in March of 2001. Sally is also from Little Rock and is a pharmacist by profession. David has four adult sons from a previous marriage.

"The most important thing I would say about myself is that I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in April of 1970 during a Lay Witness Mission at Markham United Methodist Church in Little Rock." After that he worked in over fifty Lay Witness Missions throughout Arkansas and the surrounding states before answering the call to ordained ministry. Though he is now a pastor and preacher he has never forgotten his spiritual origins. "To this day I believe that one lay person talking about his or her personal relationship with Jesus Christ is of more worth than a bus load of big name preachers."

Contact David