Jerry Dwayne Kidd, 86, of Bryant, passed away January 20. He faithfully served the Lord as a pastor and missionary within the Baptist Missionary Association of America.
Bro. Kidd devoted more than five decades to gospel ministry as a pastor, missionary, missionary pilot, and denominational leader within the BMA. He accepted Christ at the age of 12 at Unity Baptist Church in Hope, where he later surrendered to the gospel ministry on Oct. 31, 1959.
A 1957 graduate of Hope High School, Bro. Kidd attended Southern State College (now Southern Arkansas University) in Magnolia before enrolling at Central Baptist College in Conway, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible in 1963. While still a student at CBC, he was ordained to the ministry March 21, 1961, at College View Baptist Church in Magnolia and pastored Tomberlin Baptist Church at Coy and Eastside Baptist Church in Lonoke.
Following graduation, Bro. Kidd served as pastor of Eastside Baptist Church in Springhill, La. In 1967, he began serving as an interstate missionary at Westwood Baptist Church in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., where he served for five years. During this period, God burdened his heart for missionary aviation.
To prepare for that calling, Bro. Kidd attended Columbia Bible School and Missionary Technical School at LeTourneau College (now LeTourneau University) in Longview, Texas, receiving technical training for aviation missions while pastoring Ware Acres Baptist Church. In 1973, the Kidds were appointed as missionaries to Bolivia.
After an arduous journey, they arrived in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in 1974, where Bro. Kidd served for eight years as a missionary pilot. Flying his Cessna 206, Wings of the Wind, he supported missionaries working among indigenous tribes, delivered supplies, assisted medical evacuations, and carried the gospel — including the “Jesus” film and electric generators — to remote villages throughout the country, while also preaching and supporting local churches.
While on furlough in 1982, Bro. Kidd was asked to serve in the Department of Missions of the Baptist Missionary Association of America (now BMA Global). He served for many years in missions leadership, including as director of Foreign Missions (later known as director of International Missions), and in regional leadership overseeing missions work in Asia, Africa, and Europe.
While continuing his service with BMA Global, Bro. Kidd accepted the pastorate of Temple Baptist Church in Little Rock in November 2012. He later played a key role in leading the replant of Temple Baptist Church as South City Church, guiding the congregation through a season of transition. Bro. Kidd continued serving for many years as a co-pastor and, later, as a legacy elder, remaining actively involved in discipleship, missions engagement, and small-group leadership.
In 2013, Bro. Kidd transitioned into a new role as part-time director of Missionary Care, becoming the first within the BMA to give full, dedicated attention to the spiritual and practical care of missionaries. In this role, he continued ministering to missionaries on the field, and many came to know him as a steady shepherd and trusted counselor — a true pastor to missionaries.
In May 2019, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in recognition of his decades of faithful missionary service.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Sue Kidd; daughter Juli Ellis; three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a wide circle of pastors, missionaries, and friends whose lives were shaped by his faithful ministry.
Visitation is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 30, at Park Place Baptist Church (22208 I-30 Frontage Road) in Bryant, with funeral services immediately following at 11 a.m. Burial will take place later that afternoon at 3:30 p.m. at Anderson Cemetery (214 Hempstead 7) in Hope. Arrangements by Smith Family Funeral Homes (smithfamilycares.com).
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to South City Church, 317 Shackelford Rd., Little Rock, Ark. 72211, or to the Baptist Missionary Association, P.O. Box 878, Conway, Ark. 72033.
