Don Bates was appointed to serve as Beech Grove Independent Nazarene Church's Senior Pastor January 29, 2020. Prior to that, he served as the Worship Pastor.

The attributes that best describe Don Bates as a pastor are strong preaching, leadership development and a love for young people. He has expressed a burning desire to lead a church like Beech Grove Independent Nazarene Church where biblical views are embraced and encouraged, with members who care about the needs of those around them and who want to connect others to the body of Christ. Pastor Don takes worship and preaching very seriously, spending the first hours of his day focused on Bible study.

He graduated from Bible Missionary Institute with a BA in Theology.

Don has been happily married for 25 years to his wife, Amy. They have 4 children: Trae, Blake, Ethan & Elli.