John Eldridge Penn

Dr. John Eldridge Penn, 90, passed away on April 19, 2025. Born January 19, 1935, in Driftwood, Arkansas, to Ida Pearl and Hosea Jefferson Penn, he was the youngest of six siblings that also included Stanley, Bill, Tom, Martha, and Charlotte.

John grew up during the Great Depression and lived through World War II. His was a humble childhood, marked by simplicity, resilience, and the closeness of a family and community bound by shared needs and a necessary faith.

After graduating from Strawberry High School in 1952, John moved to Hialeah, Florida, to live with his brother Stanley and wife, Sis. While living and working there, he surrendered to the ministry. Prior to enrolling in the Seminary in 1955, John moved to Little Rock and lived for a brief time with his uncle and a teacher at the Seminary, Bro. Paul Goodwin.

In 1956, while speaking at a young people’s Bible study, he met Betty Phillips. They married on August 21, 1956. While preaching and pastoring, he pursued higher education, supported a growing family, and attended the Missionary Baptist Seminary, where he would later teach for 34 years (1970-2004).

While pastoring First Baptist Church of Cave City (1964-1969), John earned bachelor’s degrees in history and social studies from Arkansas College (now Lyon College) and later taught in the Cave City School System. He also served as a chaplain to the Arkansas State Senate of the 66th General Assembly.

From the Seminary, John earned a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate in theology. As a faculty member, he taught multiple courses, most notably Hermeneutics, Church History, Comparative Religion, and Ministerial Practicalities.

Throughout his life, John remained devoted to the Lord’s work, with the full support of wife Betty, who worked teaching and writing Sunday School lessons. From pastoring two half-time churches early in his ministry – Union Missionary Baptist in Jessup and Jerusalem Missionary Baptist in Strawberry – to retirement from pastoring, he pastored five churches total. He spent 43 ½ years at Southwest Missionary Baptist Church (North Bryant Baptist Church), where he began serving in 1969. Upon his retirement in 2012, NBBC named him pastor emeritus.

John helped organize churches in both Arkansas and India. During his tenure at the Seminary, he worked to preserve church history, particularly the stories of early Christians and the persecutions they suffered for their faith in Christ. In 1977, he attended the First World Congress on Religious Liberty in Amsterdam and later conducted an on-site study of the Waldenses and Albigenses during a tour of Europe and France.

John is survived by his wife of 68 years, Betty Sue (Phillips) Penn; sons Richard Thomas Penn (Janet), Jefferson Ray Penn (Lynne), William Jennings Penn (Casey), and John Michael Penn (Marla); 10 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, siblings, and extended family.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, at North Bryant Baptist Church in Bryant, Arkansas, with visitation preceding the funeral at 12 p.m., same location. Burial will follow the funeral at Kentucky Missionary Baptist Church in Benton. Memorials may be made for the Missionary Baptist Seminary’s student scholarships through North Bryant Baptist Church to the John E. and Betty Penn Memorial Scholarship Fund. Send to North Bryant Baptist Church, P.O. Box 896, Bryant, AR 72089-0896.

John Penn surrendered his life to the Lord. He was a pastor, teacher, husband, father, friend, and confidant. His ministry was characterized by conservative, expository teaching. He had a knack for practical teaching and solving big problems with grace, power, and compassion, and through him, the Lord touched lives and souls. A group of his students once wrote about him, “You have opened our eyes, stamped out misconceptions, forced us to think higher and clearer, and taught us to study God’s word properly and truthfully. You have confounded us, confronted us, and enlightened us.”

As a young child, John noticed the impact the Lord had on those around him. At 14, he accepted Christ and was baptized at Pleasant Hill MBC in Lynn, Arkansas. Reflecting on his call to preach, even before knowing much of the Bible, he said, “I didn’t have any special revelations. I just had a strong commitment that God had a purpose for me. I guess that’s what it was because I didn’t know any other thing to do except preaching.”

Services entrusted to Smith-Benton Funeral Home.  Online guestbook:  www.SmithFamilyCares.com.