
Meet Our Pastor
Leonard Burgest Sr.,
Reverend Leonard Burgest Sr. was born on March 10, 1976 in Statesboro, Georgia. After graduating from Screven County High in 1994, he joined the U.S. Air Force, where he served his country for four years. After being honorably discharged from the military in 1998, pastor Burgest began attending college at Georgia Southern University until he decided to accept a job offer from Dassault Falcon Jet in Little Rock, Arkansas in February of 2000.
Later that year pastor Burgest united with the Greater New Freedom Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. H.L. Fairchild Sr.. In 2001, he accepted his call into the ministry and on April 29 th , he preached his initial sermon was ordained three years later. With the recommendation from his pastor to attend college, pastor Burgest received a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Arkansas Baptist College in 2007. He received a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Liberty Theological Seminary in 2010. He then continued pursuing his education by obtaining a Master of Divinity in 2015 and he now holds an accredited Doctor of Ministry degree from Liberty Theological Seminary that was successfully defended and conferred in May of 2022.
After faithfully serving in the capacity of Assistant to the Pastor at Greater New Freedom MBC for 13 years, pastor Burgest humbly accepted God’s assignment for him to be the next pastor of Paradise Baptist Church in December of 2013. He preached his initial sermon as pastor on January 1, 2014 and was officially installed on March 23, 2014. For the past 11 years, under the leadership of pastor Burgest, Paradise Baptist Church has seen spiritual, numerical, financial, and relational growth occur in the church in various ways. And we are continuing to trust God while looking forward to more growth in the future in our partnership together.
Through the leadership of pastor Burgest, we have ministered to the holistic needs of the residents in the community, we have successfully completed a church renovation project, we have developed partnerships with the Salvation Army and Meadow Park Elementary School. We have also established a monthly community give-away, inwhich we continue to meet the needs of the community. Through prayer, we are continuing to trust God while looking forward to more growth in the future in our partnership together.
Pastor Burgest’s vision for Paradise is for us to “Model the Master by Making Disciples.” He believes that through prayer and being faithful in what you believe while being in-line with God’s Will that this vision will become a reality. His motto for us is…. “Start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can”, so that God can be glorified.
Pastor Burgest met his wife Angela LaFay Burgest over 23 years ago. They were employed together and they worshipped together as she invited him to her church. They ultimately united together in the holy bonds of marriage, and for the past 23 years, God has been blessing their union and they have three beautiful children; Leonard Burgest Jr., Celeste Nicole Burgest, and Jayden Lamont Burgest.
Pastor Burgest also serves in the secular capacity as a fulltime Board Certified Chaplain with the Veterans Administration. He is a member in good standing with the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., of which he is fully endorsed. He has been a member of the Greater Little Rock Baptist Pastors’ and Ministers’ Conference for over 24 years. He was awarded the Minister of the Year award in 2005 and awarded the Pastor of the Year Award in 2019. Now he is currently serving as the President.