Brister served as a pastor at Broadmoor Baptist Church, a megachurch in Shreveport, Louisiana.
On October 12, 2007, Brister called a special board of trustees meeting and announced his retirement as university president.
In 2012, he was interim pastor of South Hills Baptist Church in Fort Worth.
Their work includes drilling water wells, providing medical clinics, teaching profitable trades and caring for orphans.
He has served on the Glorieta/Ridgecrest Capital Campaign Cabinet for Lifeway Christian Resources (formerly the Baptist Sunday School Board).