My starting point for ministry began at Travis Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was there that I found Jesus to be my Lord and Savior, being baptized in May of 1973. As a maturing teenager, I found the church facility to be my ‘2nd home’ and the church family to be an encouraging extension of my spiritual formation. Training Union, Royal Ambassadors, Youth Group, Youth Choir, Church Worship were all pieces of my heart transformation to a life calling.
My first request for a ministry calling was with youth at Calvary Baptist Church in Corpus. I knew the benefits of having a youth minister and had some Biblical instruction via a Howard Payne University extension at Corpus Christi State University so I was intrigued by the opportunity to minister to these young people. Pastor Grady Hinton also offered me the opportunity to preach on Sunday evenings as well as do Children’s Church object lessons in front of the congregation. This was the beginning of alleviating my fear of public speaking…a God-thing for sure. Following a year of teaching 4th graders at Travis Baptist Day School, my attention and time was drawn to a summer of leading Day Campers at the beautiful campus of Glorietta Baptist Encampment in New Mexico and then a move to Cody, Wyoming (where my mother lived) where I volunteered part-time as a youth minister with Highlands Baptist Church. It was during this time where I experienced a gripping moment of spiritual calling to lifetime ministry. “Seminary? What’s that? Where’s that?” I began to ask. “Missouri? Never been there…Kansas City and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Oh, ok.” That’s a tad bit away from family, but God was calling and I answered in 1984. What a wonderful experience in absorbing the Word of God and acquainting myself with all church functions! I highly recommend it for anyone considering lifetime ministry.
Opportunities for ministry during seminary education are there if one seeks them. A local pastor, David Krueger, sought out some assistance with his youth in Adrian, Missouri. I took on that weekend ministry and slept there in the church with borrowed furniture and a vacant Sunday School room for nearly 2 years before I was ordained to ministry and got married to my lovely wife Alice Carter there at FBC, Adrian.
My next leap of faith was to take on a part-time pastorate in the farming community of Ballard, MO (Fairview Baptist Church, 1989). Back to seminary I went to get briefed on preaching, pastoring and a few more classes I had missed before. Now it was time to apply my learning with caution knowing that this body of believers had history and personality (this is critical) and that God is their Father as He is mine. This was a great training ground for further pastoral ministry.
Next was a calling to a bi-vocational pastorate a “store front” church in Spearfish, South Dakota (1993-1997). With Black Hills State University and a ‘resort’ community of Deadwood in our midst, we reached out to both our local Baptist Association and the North American Mission Board for assistance in ministering to these people groups.
A building program produced a stressful time of pondering my call to ministry. God answered my prayer for full time ministry with a long time pastorate (25 years) at FBC, Peculiar.
Certainly, my stay amidst the 115 year history of Peculiar Baptists has been a tremendous highlight and fulfilling ministry in many ways. The eternal friendships/family that we have acquired through the years is something that can never be replaced. Many of the prayer warriors that have supported our ministry are a blessing beyond measure.
My advice as an ‘under shepherd’ to the Good Shepherd is to maintain that alliance with Jesus using the most due diligence. As I heard recently on Christian radio, “He left the 99 to find you”. God is seeking ministers who will love on sheep as He has loved on us…with great patience and love. Another piece of advice if I may, don’t follow the ‘money aspect’ of ministry albeit it has its place. We were a ‘prodigal’ looking for ‘fun’ but our Father (who owns it all) is anxiously awaiting a ‘sons’ arrival with a robe, ring, and sandals…He’s got us covered. Amen.
