![\"\"](\"https:\/\/baptistnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ogden.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nScreencap of Chris Ogden in video apologizing to congregation for questioning the leadership of the senior pastors of First Baptist Orlando.<\/p>\n
Ogden appears in a video posted to YouTube Feb. 14 in which he apologizes to the congregation for opposing the leadership of the church\u2019s three senior pastors in a Feb. 3 staff meeting.<\/p>\n
The church has an unusual staff structure with three senior pastors<\/a>: David Uth, Danny De Armas and Trey Hildebrant. De Armas is a former trustee chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention\u2019s North American Mission Board.<\/p>\n In 2022, he and the church drew scathing criticism<\/a> from the far-right in the SBC for public comments De Armas made about the diversity represented in the congregation: \u201cWe have transgender, LGBTQ, straight, single, married, divorced and\u00a0cohabitating people. These same people attend listen,\u00a0serve, grow and give. We have\u00a0Democrats,\u00a0Republicans, independents and non-registered people.\u00a0We have documented and\u00a0undocumented people. We have politically active and socially responsible people. We have pro-life and pro-choice\u00a0and pro-war and pro-peace. We have Support the Blue and Black Lives Matter sitting together and\u00a0serving together.\u00a0We have Trumpers and never Trumpers.\u00a0We have Biden supporters and Harris supporters. We have the ultra-wealthy and the indigent, sitting together, singing together and serving together.\u201d<\/p>\n In Ogden\u2019s apology video, he says he \u201cinappropriately spoke out against the decision of the senior pastors and in doing so I caused a lot of hurt and disappointment and confusion.\u201d Although he does not name that \u201cdecision,\u201d church insiders have confirmed to BNG that it was about the TPUSA tour stop.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to ask your forgiveness just as I have asked forgiveness from our senior pastors as well,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat I did was not appropriate and I am submitting to a process now that is designed to build trust and restore relationship both with the senior pastors of our church and also with our personnel committee.\u201d<\/p>\n Erika Kirk speaks at the launch of TPUSA\u2019s \u201cMake Heaven Crowded\u201d tour. (Screencap)<\/p>\n After urging church members to keep attending in his absence, he says his desire never was \u201cto create a situation that would cause harm or disappointment but that is what has occurred and I want to encourage you to work through this with us with grace and with understanding and with patience.\u201d<\/p>\n He calls this a \u201cdifficult season\u201d and a \u201ctough, tough season\u201d for the church. Some members reportedly are leaving the church because of the decision to host the TPUSA event.<\/p>\n Neither the livestream nor the recording of last Sunday\u2019s services at Horizon West campus was posted online, with a note instead saying it could not be broadcast due to the \u201csensitive nature\u201d of the content.<\/p>\n The TPUSA Faith Florida Facebook page describes the upcoming Orlando event as \u201can evangelistic outreach event\u201d and says First Baptist will offer \u201ca public declaration of Christ with baptism after the event.\u201d<\/p>\n The list of scheduled speakers for the Orlando event has not yet been made public, but previous stops on the tour have included Erika Kirk and revisionist historian Eric Metaxas, along with other Christian nationalist figures.<\/p>\n At the kickoff tour event in Los Angeles last month, Kirk called those protesting against ICE tactics \u201cdemonic<\/a>.\u201d TPUSA has a history of preaching MAGA politics with a veneer of evangelical Christianity.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n