March marks my anniversary at Pea Ridge Baptist. I just completed my eighth year as pastor of this wonderful congregation. What an incredible journey it has been for me and my family. I have enjoyed serving the people and love bing part of God’s work through you and this community. As I have reflected on my time here as pastor, I have learned many lessons. I am a different person today than when I began my ministry here. Let me share some of the things I have learned.
1. Reading God’s Word for my growth in essential. Many times it is easy to just read for study and preparation for sermons, etc. I must read God’s Word for my OWN spiritual growth. I have grown more in my personal relationship with God in the past 4 years and it is so refreshing.
2. Evangelism is a part of everything I do. There is never a time when I stop sharing the love of Christ with those around me. Every sermon I preach, every visit I make, every step that I take is an opportunity to tell about God’s love for me.
3. Growth as a disciple is hard to measure. While our mission and vision as a church is to “make disciples”, it can be a very difficult process to measure. It is not in numbers, but in the depth of commitment of the individual believer.
4. Change is inevitable. One of the things that I have been reflecting on is the change that comes naturally in the church or in any organization. New people come in, others leave, systems change, demands are different, the economy fluctuates, knowledge of scripture and God’s will are deepened in the individual and congregation…things don’t stay the same. This has actually been very freeing. When we realize that things change, it demand that we need our eyes fixed on the purpose rather than the process. Sure process is important, but being open to God’s plan for our lives and our church must never take a back sit to the “way to do things”. Traditions are no longer kept for sake of keeping, but we are challenged every day to live and serve in a way that is pleasing to God.
5. One church can have an impact in the world! This has been lived out through our partnership with Hope Church in Ryazan, Russia. I have been so blessed in this partnership and I have seen how we can join hands with a church in another part of the world and have a tremendous impact for Jesus Christ. My involvement with the Russia Mission Partnership since 2001 has changed the way I look at the global church. God is doing amazing work in the world and we are so privileged to be part of His work. This year, we will be sending mission teams to Costa Rica (July 2011) and Russia (Dec. 2011…details soon). With the ease of global travel, easy translation on the internet and services like Skype, we are able to keep in contact with our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. These relationship that form are wonderful and will encourage our lives on a day to day basis. In addition to our personal work in places like Russia, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic (July 2009), we are been supporting the work of through missionaries in Bolivia, Japan, India and more. What a joy to be part of God’s work in the world!
6. God meets our financial needs. I have been blow away to see the generosity from my church family. We have taken HUGE steps of faith through our annual budget and even through over an above giving and God has always provide. It is good to see the people of God respond to help accomplish His work through the ministry of PRBC.
7. Leadership is more caught than taught. I know that we have leaders in this congregation and I many of you stepping up. And the I see you stepping up, the more people I see getting involved. BEING the leader that God wants me to be and you to be will ultimately mean that others will follow you. We are called to be God’s worker for His kingdom…carrying out the ministry He has called us to do. Ephesians 2: 10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” What I high calling we have as leaders!
8. Relationship are key to a healthy church. Our relationship with God is the most important. Our spiritual life begins with God, but I believe it is hard to be a Christian lone. We need other people, so the relationships with have with are vital to our Christian lives. When we live in relationship with others, we have systems of accountability that begin to emerge. And when I am held accountable to how I live my Christian life, I am more apt to grow and be stronger as a result. Relationships with new people in our church are also very important. I believe that people are really desperate for quality, purposeful, meaningful relationships. If a person visits a church, they are probably looking for someone to connect with. That is way it is SO important that we relate on a personal level to anyone who is a guest in our church. We need each other and can do so much more together than we can do alone!
9. Reading is fun! I have read more in the past 2 years than I ever have. I have learned to enjoy a good book and love to read a variety of things. My favorite things to read are history, John Grisham novels and what I call “church books”. I have developed a great love for books and have grown in so many ways as a result of increasing my reading.
10. We must live intentionally! As an individual, I must have a commitment to live my life with intention toward God. I have responsible for my own relationship with Christ, I am responsible how I lead this church and my family. And that kind of responsibility demands that I live intentionally. I set aside time for my spiritual growth and prayer live. I spend time with my family. I have an exercise plan to keep me healthy,etc. The same is also true in the church. It is much easier to go on autopilot and just keep things running in the church for all the members, but God has called us to be salt and light…to keep a focus on evangelism and bring new people into the kingdom of God. We keep to intentionally move beyond the walls of the church and reach out in the name of Jesus Christ. We have to care about people who might be dying without Jesus and take intentional action in bring the good new to them. I love the quote from Rick Warren from his book, The Purpose Driven Life…”The church does not focus on evangelism is saying to the world you can go to hell.” We must be intentional about our relationships and ministries outside this church wall.
This list is not at all complete. It has been good to reflect on the past eight years. God is good. But let me say one more thing.
I can’t imagine being any place else! I am so confident that God has called me to be your pastor at Pea Ridge Baptist. I can’t imagine being any other place right now in my life. I am committed to helping us continue to grow as disciples and committed to reaching beyond the walls of this church a world who needs Jesus. I look forward to many more rewarding years and ministry and I can’t wait to see what lessons God will send my way in the years to come. Thanks for being committed to our Lord. Let’s keep our eyes focused on Him, let’s keep our hearts totally surrender, let’s keep our hearts tuned to the ways of God! I love you all!
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