Updated: 5:30 p.m. EDT, May 14

BRANDON (FBW) –Forrest Pollock, pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, and his 13-year-old son, Preston, did not survive a May 12 plane crash in the rugged North Carolina mountains his church confirmed May 13.

Pollock, 44, had been pastor of the 6,000-member Tampa-area church since 2002 and the two went missing after a “quick stop” in North Carolina May 11 on their way to a conference in Texas. The St. Petersburg Times reported Pollock had gone to North Carolina to see his mother on Mother's Day.

The Times also reported Brooke Pollock, 14, had gone along but decided to stay with her grandmother in North Carolina. Forrest Pollock planned to stop in Arkansas to pick up a friend before piloting his personal single-engine aircraft to Texas.

“We grieve with hope and assurance that our Lord Jesus will lead us and carry us through these difficult times,” a message on the church’s Web site reads. “We have lost a great brother, pastor and friend in Forrest Pollock as well as a precious little brother in Christ, Preston Pollock.”

Pollock's plane left Rutherford County's airport in Rutherfordton, N.C. at about 5 a.m. Monday bound for North Little Rock, Ark. Rescuers did not search by air Monday because of dangerous high winds of up to 60 mph, said Lt. Clint Parker, of the Civil Air Patrol, according to the Citizen-Times of Asheville, N.C.

Pollock is survived by his wife of 17 years, Dawn Allen; five children, Courtney, 15; Brooke, 14; Hope, 11; Blake, 10; and Kirk, 8; mother and stepfather, Eva and Earl Sprinkle of Marion, N.C.; stepbrother, Stacy Pollock of Oklahoma City, Okla.; and stepsister, Tracey Chappell of Edmond, Okla.

John Sullivan, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention, told Florida Baptist Witness Pollock was a “committed leader in his church and his denomination.”

“There is no way to estimate the loss of one of God’s good men like Forrest Pollock,” Sullivan said. “He led Bell Shoals in an exciting and godly manner.”

Recounting a talk he had with Pollock a week ago, Sullivan said he congratulated the pastor on the completion of the new 3,400-seat worship center located at Bell Shoals’ 39-acre campus.

“We must now pray for Dawn and the children as well as the leadership of the church. God bless them as they realize, ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,’ (Psalm 46:1)” Sullivan said.

Calling Pollock one of the “finest leaders” in the Florida Baptist family, William Rice, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater and president of the Florida Baptist State Convention, referred to him also as a “friend, colleague and a brother” whose “influence will be greatly missed.”

“While this sudden and untimely death of so gifted a man in the prime of his ministry, not to mention the death of his son who had just begun to live, is one of the imponderable mysteries of life, we are comforted in knowing that Dr. Pollock spent his life pointing to the one whose life and power transcends time, space and death itself,” Rice said. “The truth he built his life upon and invested his life in will sustain us through this time of loss.”

“The prayers of all Florida Baptists go out to his wife Dawn, their surviving children, extended family, and to the wonderful congregation at Bell Shoals,” Rice promised.

At nearby First Baptist Church in Brandon, pastor Tommy Green told the Witness he recalls fondly serving alongside Pollock.

“I am deeply saddened by the death of Forrest and his son,” Green said. “It has been my privilege and joy to serve in the same community with Forrest since he came to Bell Shoals in 2002. He led this wonderful church with vision, integrity, and grace. He was an encourager to pastors and a friend to Southern Baptists. The thoughts and prayers of First Baptist Brandon continue for the Pollock family and Bell Shoals Baptist Church.”

Ken Whitten, pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, in the Tampa Bay area, remembered Pollock as a “gifted pastor, a creative communicator, and a friend to so many.”

“Today, we’ve lost a friend, a colleague, a faithful husband and father and a wonderful church has lost their shepherd and his son,” Whitten said.

Reminiscing about their times together, Whitten said of Pollock, “He would always say to me, ‘Pastor Ken, I love this Bell Shoals family. In fact, I feel like when God sent me here I won the lottery.’ He was a winner and he’ll be greatly missed by his family, his peers, his church and his denomination,” Whitten continued. “As David lamented his friend Jonathan’s death, we echo his words, ‘How the mighty have fallen’ (2 Sam. 1:25).”

Pollock also was president of the Large Church Roundtable, a gathering he founded in 1999 for pastors of large churches who meet for fellowship and sharing ideas. It was in that group he met Frank Page, pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C., whom Pollock eventually nominated for the office of SBC president at the annual meeting in 2006 in Greensboro, N.C.

Page said he remembers Pollock for his “kind heart, his competency in ministry and his sweet spirit.”

“He was a man who was self-effacing and had a tremendous sense of humor. I came to love him and admire him and our friendship deepened,” Page said. “He was a dear friend.”

Expressing grief that “someone so young, so promising was taken so early,” Page said, however, Pollock was a “deeply devoted father and husband” who was “no doubt, having a great father-son time” with his son, Preston.

Scheduled to preach at Bell Shoals on Memorial Day weekend, May 25, Page said he thinks the timing is in “God’s economy.”

“I pray that I will be able to speak a word of comfort and direction to that church during that sermon,” Page said. “[We] know that heaven is a richer place today because of the presence of Forrest and Preston Pollock.”

Joining other denominational leaders who recognized Pollock’s contribution to an ongoing emphasis on the importance of family, Morris H. Chapman, president of the SBC Executive Committee, said, “our hearts are heavy" for the family and he described Pollock as widely “trusted, respected and admired.”

“Dr. Pollock served Southern Baptists in numerous ways, nominating our current president, serving on the Resolutions Committee and the Committee on Committees, and was scheduled to preach at next month's annual meeting in Indianapolis,” Chapman continued. “Perhaps his greatest contribution to Southern Baptists was through his work as a member of the Southern Baptist Council on Family Life from 2001-03. This council helped us recover our focus as Kingdom families by emphasizing seven pillars for family health and spiritual vitality. Not only did Forrest Pollock help author this report, he lived out these values in his own home and ministry.”

James T. Draper Jr., past president of LifeWay Christian Resources, called Pollock “one of the most gifted young pastors in the SBC.”

“As a young pastor, he greatly strengthened me over the years with his friendship, encouragement and thoughtfulness,” Draper said. “His leadership especially among younger pastors will be greatly missed.”

Pollock was to have been a featured speaker at the Southern Baptist Convention's June 10-11 annual meeting in Indianapolis. He also had been appointed to serve on the convention's Committee on Committees.

Pollock earned the Doctor of Ministry degree in 1998 and the Master of Divinity in 1994 from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth; and a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1986 from the University of Oklahoma. He was working towards the Masters degree in Liberal Arts from Harvard University.

He served as senior pastor of Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, La., 1997-2002; as senior pastor of Rosen Heights Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas from 1994-1997; and as association pastor of church growth at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, 1992-1994. He is the author of two books: The Last Sermon I would Preach if Jesus Were Coming Tomorrow (2007), and Ten Habits of Highly Effective People (2000).

Before serving churches, Pollock was in the world of communications and at age 25, as president and CEO of PDC Multimedia Productions of Norman, Okla., was named Young Business owner of the Year by the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

In 2007, Bell Shoals hosted the Family Impact Summit, drawing “gay” rights advocates who in an unprecedented move allowed Pollock to use their microphone and podium – set up on the church’s sidewalk – to address the protestors.

“Folks, I want you to know you are welcome and we’re glad you are here,” Pollock graciously smiled at protestors, afterwards shaking their hands. “And we extend an invitation to every single one of you to come to our church this Sunday.”

The summit included noted pro-family leaders from across the nation, including Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; Don Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association; and Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council.

"All of our hearts are broken," the church’s executive pastor George Thomasson told those gathered at the church, according to the Times.

After organizing what had become an all night prayer vigil with continual information updates, he reportedly told the media: "It just seems unreal to us."

The Times reported staff from the Christian Counseling Center of the Tampa Bay Baptist Association are on site this week to assist church members who are struggling with the news. Robbie Goss, the center’s director anticipates several stages of grief.

Services are scheduled for Sat., May 17 at Bell Shoals Baptist Church. A gathering of friends begins at 9:30 a.m. at the church at 2102 Bell Shoals Road. A "celebration of life" begins 11 a.m. Interment will be next week in Oklahoma City, Okla.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that contributions be made to the building fund at Bell Shoals Baptist Church. Notes to the family can be sent to: pollockfamily@bellshoals.com.

On the church’s Web site, there has been no new information since the May 13, 12:30 p.m. posting of the notice of Pollock’s death. At the end of the post is the verse:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39”