W. Russell Threet is a pastor, professor, biblical counselor, author, and speaker committed to strengthening the local church through faithful teaching and Christ-centered care. His ministry is driven by the conviction that God transforms lives through the faithful proclamation and application of His Word within the life of the local church.

He serves as the Senior Pastor of West Park Baptist Church in Ozark, Arkansas. In addition to pastoral ministry, Russell teaches in the area of biblical counseling at Forge Theological Seminary, where he serves as Dean of the Counseling Certificate Program. He also serves as adjunct faculty with NationsUniversity and Cornerstone College and Seminary. Russell is a certified biblical counselor with the International Association of Biblical Counselors, the Fellowship of Biblical Counselors, and is a Commissioned Addictions Biblical Counselor with The Addiction Connection.

Russell regularly writes and speaks on biblical counseling, pastoral ministry, suffering, and the church’s responsibility to minister faithfully to families affected by disability. His work reflects a deep commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture and to applying biblical truth to real-life challenges in the church, the home, and the broader community.

He holds a Doctor of Practical Theology, a Master of Divinity, and a Master of Arts in Christian Ministries. He has also served as a hospital chaplain and continues to mentor men preparing for pastoral ministry and biblical counseling.

Russell and his wife, Sarah, live in Arkansas and have three sons. Their journey with one of their sons on the autism spectrum has deeply shaped Russell’s commitment to disability ministry within the local church. When not preaching, counseling, or teaching, he enjoys the outdoors, deer hunting, and coaching youth football.

Doctrinal Commitments

Russell holds to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture and to a Baptist ecclesiology grounded in the New Hampshire Confession of Faith. His ministry is shaped by a biblical understanding of the church, the family, gender, and human dignity. West Park Baptist Church affirms the BMA Doctrinal Statement and historic Baptist convictions regarding the local church and the gospel of Jesus Christ.