I heard the comment recently that someone measured the distance Paul traveled by land and sea on his missionary journeys and came up with around 10,000 miles he covered preaching the gospel and starting churches. But the next comment is what grabbed me; in those 10,000 miles of travel, we never read a single verse of Scripture where Paul travelled one of those miles alone. He always had a companion. He loathed being alone. Ministry is too hard to do alone and according to the biblical model was not meant to be done alone. Yet, a recent poll of pastors found that 38% of them felt isolated. Six out of ten pastors say their role is frequently overwhelming, which means that four out of ten of them are lying about it.
We have a remedy for loneliness and isolation in ministry. It’s called the Pastor’s Huddle. Pastors/elders get together and share the real struggles they face in their church and ministry. We read and discuss a pertinent book together, but taking time to address shared needs always takes priority. We have chosen Brian Croft’s book, The Pastor’s Ministry: Biblical Priorities for Faithful Shepherds. It focuses on how the pastor can manage and prioritize the many duties he is called upon to do so that ministry is a joy and not continually overwhelming.
Another bonus of the Pastor’s Huddle is who we have to lead it. Dr. Mark Clifton. We are blessed to have Dr. Clifton living in the KC metro. Mark is a nationally sought after convention speaker and preacher.
His experience also includes serving as the lead mission strategist for the Kansas Nebraska Southern Baptist Convention, leading church planting efforts in the regions of North Metro Atlanta, GA, serving as a church planter in Montreal, Quebec, and as a Southern Baptist National Church Planting Missionary for eastern Canada, and leading Southern Baptist church planting projects west of the Mississippi. Clifton has been planting, replanting, and providing strategic mission leadership since 1978.
Beyond his ministry endeavors, Clifton is the author of Reclaiming Glory: Creating a Gospel Legacy throughout North America (B&H). He cohosts NAMB’s Revitalize and Replant podcast and is a regular contributor to several blogs and magazines, including the recent edition of the Midwestern Magazine. Most recently, he was named to be a visiting professor of Church Ministry at Midwestern Theological Seminary.
We strongly encourage you to mark this off on your calendar and plan to be with us. We hold one huddle in the southern part of the Association and another one on the north side. Join us either Tuesday, February 13th at South Haven Baptist Church or on Wednesday, February 14th at River’s Edge Fellowship (formerly Sterling Acres Baptist) from 11-noon with lunch served. Please RSVP with Amy at [email protected], by February 12th, and let us know which huddle you’ll be attending.
