Reverend C. Russell Wilkins served as Goshen Baptist pastor from 1925 through 1962.

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Reverend C. Russell Wilkins began his thirty-seven-year ministry at Goshen on New Year's Day, 1925, upon accepting the church's call, and was formally ordained as pastor on March 26. From the outset, he prioritized outreach, appointing the congregation's first Evangelism Committee as one of his initial acts. His steadfast focus on visitation and evangelism yielded steady spiritual growth throughout his tenure, marked by milestone moments such as fifteen baptisms following a 1929 revival series and twenty-four new members baptized after a home visitation campaign in 1957. Under his leadership, the church grew continuously both spiritually and structurally, leading to key developments like the appointment of its first paid youth director in 1961.

In July 1955, a grateful congregation honored Reverend Wilkins' thirty years of dedicated service by gifting him a trip to London for the Golden Jubilee Congress of the Baptist World Alliance, followed by a journey to the Holy Land. 

When he submitted his resignation in 1962, the church gathered for an appreciation dinner to celebrate his decades of devotion. Surrounded by tributes, heartfelt gifts—including a framed color photograph of his beloved church—and an address by Reverend James Penlington, a pastor ordained at Goshen, Reverend Wilkins offered his final response. Drawing from the Book of Revelation's message to the church at Laodicea, he urged his congregation never to grow lukewarm in their commitment to Christ.