The Mission Continues: How One Pastor Perseveres through the Grace of God and the Generosity of His People

By Courtney Moore

Duchesne, Utah, may be a small town, but on Sunday mornings, the locals show up in a big way at First Baptist Church (FBC). Within only a couple of months of Carl Wimmer’s arrival as their pastor, the worship service was standing-room-only. On holidays, the crowds spill outside onto the sidewalk where they listen from perched-open double doors. The people of Duchesne come because they are hungry to know Jesus. They’re hungry for the gospel, and Pastor Wimmer faithfully delivers the truth with grace.

But the blessings at FBC have come at a cost.

After a string of formidable trials that included the passing of his son, totaling a vehicle, and suffering what doctors inexplicably called cardiac death, no one would blame Carl if he chose to step away from ministry. The preparation and delivery of the Sunday sermon alone is a sacrifice. Church members don’t see that once the final amen has been spoken and the crowd clears, Pastor Wimmer goes home, lies down in a dark room, and recovers. His body can’t do what it used to.

And yet, for Wimmer, the mission continues. God is moving in his community, and there is work still to be done. Carl’s tenacity through suffering comes from God’s grace and His provision through the generosity of other believers. Both have kept him on course for the mission.

“I’m leaning into Jesus,” Wimmer shared. “Otherwise, I would be broken.”

A Life Transformed by the Gospel

Having grown up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and become a men’s leader there, the thought of becoming a Southern Baptist pastor was unimaginable. Carl’s time as a police officer, a state legislator, and a world-champion weightlifter did not seem like a path that would lead to Christian ministry. But God had other plans.

Doubts about his Mormon faith crept in unexpectedly as he was studying to teach the men’s group. He came across information he’d never heard before about the church’s founding, and he felt compelled to discover whether these things were true. His digging led him down a path to disillusionment, and by the end of 2012, he was a functional atheist.

In God’s providence, however, his family had bought tickets to a Christian concert in Salt Lake City, even though they weren’t believers. By the time the concert date arrived, Carl had no desire to attend.

“I almost talked our family out of going. I’m so glad that the kids were stubborn,” Wimmer recalled.

During the concert, musician Jeremy Camp set down his guitar and picked up his Bible. For ten minutes, Camp shared the gospel and spoke straight to Carl Wimmer.
 
“It felt like everybody else in that room of 10,000 people had disappeared, and it was just him talking to me. In that moment, I came to know Jesus,” Wimmer said. “I walked in that night as one person, and I walked out a completely new creation.”
 
A Church Making Disciples
 
A deep desire to know Jesus began. His hunger for truth led Carl to study the Bible and lead his family to join a Bible-based Christian church. He enrolled in college-level Bible classes to learn more and eventually earned a Bachelor’s in Theology and a Master’s in Christian Apologetics.

Over time, his home Bible study outgrew all expectations and became a church. Carl served as its founding pastor until he sensed God leading his family to Duchesne, where he has served as pastor at First Baptist Church since 2021.
 
And God is growing the church. People in this small town of 1,300 are eager to know the truth, and Wimmer’s unique background and education in apologetics help them understand who God is, answering their questions and opening their eyes to Christ.

“It’s true that you can’t logically argue somebody into the kingdom of heaven,” Wimmer said. “But you can push them away without logical answers.”
 
Attendance has increased so much that the worship center is over capacity, so to make more room, Wimmer suggested reducing the size of his office to add more rows of seating.
 
“We ripped my office out and put four more rows of chairs in there,” he said. “And we can now fit 99 seats.”
 
Baptisms are also on the rise. Many are turning from Mormonism and coming to faith in Christ, as are people who move to Duchesne to work in the oil industry.

“I never in a million years thought I’d baptize so many people, but there’s just a hunger and a thirst for truth,” Wimmer shared. “We’re doing baptisms again next month at the lake.”

He gives glory to God for how lives are being changed and disciples are being formed, even as he has recently faced tremendous hardships.

A Season of Unimaginable Loss
 
Life was going well until it wasn’t. That’s how Wimmer described it. “2026 has been a test, a fiery test,” he said.

It began with the loss of their dear son. Julian was wheelchair bound with severe disabilities, fully dependent on his parents.

“He would light up a room with his smile, light up a room with his laugh, but that’s all he did was smile or laugh,” Wimmer said. “That’s it.”    

Julian struggled with health problems, and several years ago was on life support because of pneumonia. After 60 days in the hospital, Wimmer and his wife, Sherry, thought they were going to have to let him go. But by God’s grace, Julian recovered and made it home. His health appeared to be better.
 
Then, in January, Carl’s other son discovered that Julian had passed in his sleep.

“But it was a blessing that it happened at home, in peace, and unexpectedly. That’s how we would have rather had it,” Wimmer shared. “We got amazing years, got to raise him, and he changed our lives in his 24 years.”
 
Nine days after Julian’s death, another of Wimmer’s sons was hit by a vehicle, totaling the family car and causing a concussion.

Then the very next day, Carl began experiencing chest pains, another unexpected occurrence since Wimmer is a self-described health fanatic and in excellent physical condition. The pain and symptoms only worsened as Sherry drove him to the emergency room. When he arrived, he walked into the room, lay on the bed, and his heart stopped.

Carl briefly flatlined. The nurse began intense CPR, breaking his ribs and sternum, and that brought him back to life.
 
When he came to, he had no idea what was happening. As he was rushed onto a helicopter and realized the seriousness of the moment, his heart was filled with praise to the Lord for saving his life. His thoughts were foggy, but one song was clear. He began throwing his hands up and singing “Gratitude” by Brandon Lake over and over.

“The paramedic nurse said she’d never seen anyone who died come back, and then sing the whole way to the hospital,” Wimmer said.
 
The doctors called it cardiac death, but they’re still unsure what caused it. Carl just knows the Lord isn’t done with him yet and that the mission continues.

God’s Grace and the Generosity of His People
 
As Carl and his family walked through and are still recovering from one of the hardest seasons of their lives, they didn’t walk alone.

Through the generosity of Southern Baptists, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and Utah-Idaho Baptists surprised the Wimmers at the 2026 NAMB Send Luncheon during the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. They helped cover Julian’s funeral expenses, assisted with medical bills from Carl’s emergency, helped replace the family’s vehicle, and invested in the church’s future as it prepares to expand its building.

“God has been faithful to your family, but life has not been easy,” shared Kevin Ezell, President of NAMB, to the Wimmers during the luncheon. “What we do by giving, this happens every day, all throughout the Southern Baptist family, and I’m so thankful we are able to participate in this and bless you in this way.”
 
Rob Lee, Executive Director of the Utah-Idaho Southern Baptist Convention, said, “We know one day, Carl and Sherry are going to hear, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ They are such a blessing to us, an example of what it means to be faithful through the Job times of your ministry.”

The Wimmers appreciate the generosity of Southern Baptists’ gifts.

“They helped so much. That’s all there is to it,” Wimmer said. “We’d be in serious financial stress if it were not for NAMB and the local convention.”

The support has brought much-needed relief during the most intense season of their lives. And God’s grace continues to sustain Carl and his family. Even as they continue to overcome the financial burdens of medical bills and funding the church building plan, which aims to raise $50,000, the mission continues. And Wimmer determinedly keeps moving forward by faith.

“I’ve seen my congregation’s faith grow like I’ve never seen before, as they wonder why I haven’t broken,” he said. “The only reason I’m not broken is because I’m leaning into Jesus.”

His prayer is for Duchesne to become the first majority-Christian city in Utah.

“We’re a town of 1,300 people, and we have 100 people who attend church. Think about that,” he stated. “And I’m telling you, with God, all things are possible. That’s what we’re moving toward.”
 
On Sunday, Carl will still preach. The people of Duchesne will hear the gospel. FBC families will be discipled. And Carl will thank God for the blessing of His provision and for the opportunity to carry the mission forward. 

Read more stories featuring Southern Baptists’ work across North America at namb.net/news