About Covenant Baptist Church
Covenant Baptist Church is an unaffiliated baptist church with a reformed understanding of salvation. We hold to the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession of Faith as our statement of beliefs and guide for doctrine. Pastors Josh Rice and Bart Hodgson have partnered to plant a church in Springdale, Arkansas that exists to glorify God by equipping the saints to live righteously and bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Covenant Baptist Church began meeting at the historic Zion Grange building in September of 2023. To find out more about the mission and vision of CBC, please visit here.
Josh Rice
Josh Rice is a Northwest Arkansas native. After attending the University of Arkansas and receiving his masters in Agricultural Education, Josh has taught in Springdale Schools since 2005. He has been married to his wife, Kelsey, since 2011 and they have five children: Jo, Abigail, Charlotte, Noah, and Eliza. Kelsey works from home as a graphic designer and homeschools their children. In her free time she enjoys reading, creating art, and finding treasures thrifting. Josh has served as an elder and pastor since 2018. He enjoys reading classic literature, watching good movies, playing with his kids, carpentry, and recording The Way Lesser Inklings, a podcast about literature.
Bart Hodgson
Bart and Kristen Hodgson have been in ministry for over thirty years. It all began in NWA as they met at the University of Arkansas. But their ministry journey has taken them to Louisiana, Colorado, Texas, Missouri, Oregon and Washington. Bart has served in various pastor roles: youth, worship, lead, executive, and now church planter. Bart attended Denver Seminary where he received his MA in Counseling and his MDIV. Kristen's main love was raising their three children. But around those years worked as an elementary teacher, a photographer, and in development for non-profits. She currently serves Loving Choices as their Development Director. Their children are Hannah, Carmen and Isaac and two grandsons, Beau and Emmett. Bart loves fellowship, good coffee, despises pineapple on pizza, and is the fixer of all things. Kristen loves connecting with others, learning animal husbandry, and most of all, playing with her grandboys.
Covenant Baptist Church is a plant of Crossway Fellowship in Lynnwood, WA.
Covenant Baptist is also supported by the 3Strand Network of churches in the Pacific Northwest.