Allcorn accepts FBC interim post

By Sam Waller

Rev. Stan Allcorn’s dedication to God has made him put retirement on hold.

Again.

Allcorn,  who served as senior pastor at Abilene’s Pioneer Drive Baptist Church for 22 years, takes over as interim pastor at Albany’s First Baptist Church this week. It is his second interim posting since he retired, following a two-year stint at a church in Tuscola.

“I went two months without preaching when I retired, and that’s almost like telling a fish not to swim,” said Allcorn, who led Pioneer Drive from 1998 to 2020. “The folks at Tuscola thought I was doing them a favor, but really they were doing me a favor. It’s a privilege to get to share the Word of God with people, and when you’ve done that your whole life, it’s hard to stop cold-turkey.”

Allcorn, a native of Brownwood, has also served at churches in Belton, Waco, Commerce, and DeRidder, Louisiana. He graduated from Baylor in 1976 and from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with a master’s degree in divinity. He served on the Baylor board of regents from 2002 to 2011.

He met his wife Claudia in his first class at Baylor. They have two adult sons and three grandchildren.

After leading a congregation for decades, Allcorn said serving as interim pastor requires a different approach.

“I’m really trying to prepare the church members for the new minister that’s going to be coming, helping a church transition from a beloved pastor to a new pastor,” he said. “It’s all about building relationships and pointing people to the Lord.”