Our Staff

Pastor Michael (Mike) Gore is the lead pastor for First Baptist Church of Beech Grove (FBC).

He was born and raised in Shelbyville, Indiana. He has a Bachelor's degree in Pastoral Ministry from the College of Biblical Studies (formerly Crossroads Bible College), and an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University.

He and his wife, Sarah, have three daughters, Piper, Willow, and Evie. In his spare time, he enjoys all of his daughters' activities, IU sports, Cardinals baseball, and Liverpool soccer.

Pastor Tom is currently serving on the pastoral staff as Pastor Emeritus.

Tom was called to serve as lead pastor of First Baptist Church in May of 1978, having graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary at that time. He served as lead pastor of the church from 1978-2007, then returned in 2020 and served in that position for three more years.

Tom enjoys his family of four married children along with 13 grandchildren and 3 great
grandchildren, all of whom live in the Indianapolis area. He enjoys the outdoors, hiking, golfing and exploring, whether nearby towns and scenery, or world-wide travel.

Pastor Russ is currently serving on the pastoral staff as Associate Pastor.

Russ has been part of FBC for many years and considers it a privilege to serve the Lord as a deacon, associate pastor, and teacher. His faith is central to his life, and he finds great joy in walking with the Lord and knowing God is with him wherever life takes him.

He has been married to his wife, Karen, since 1980. Together, they have two grown children and two grandchildren.

Additionally, he recently retired from a career teaching high school special education, serving students at IPS, Beech Grove, and Connections Academy. Outside of church he enjoys sports, especially golf and has a life long of aviation, having earned his private pilot's license at just 17 years old. He also enjoys walking wooded trails, traveling, and experiencing new things.