Transition. Change. Adjustment. Life. Our lives and the world change every day. The pace of that change is stunning. Sometimes change is by choice – spiritual, relationship, vocation, financial, educational, and location. Sometimes not by choice – age, health, relationship, vocation, world events, local events, and others. In moments this is easy and celebratory. At other times full of concern, challenges, grief, indecision, and pain. But at the end of each day, life still moves on.
Today is one of those days.
Since August 1970 my dad has served as pastor of the Grace Baptist Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky, approximately one year before I was born. Today marks the first moment in my life when my dad will not be the pastor of that church. After nearly forty-eight years as the pastor of Grace, my dad and mom choose a different role to play, a different job to have, and a different responsibility. Although he will continue to preach and serve God as He has opportunity, today is the final day of his pastorate.
What We Celebrate
Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. (I Corinthians 4:2)
As family and friends, we celebrate alongside a church. As you know, the past few years have been especially difficult for pastors in the news. The role of pastor has lost much of its prestige, trust, and importance in the community as so many pastors have chosen to mar their reputation, disgrace the name of Christ, humiliate the church, and sin against God and man. The good news for all of us who know and love my parents is this…after over fifty years in ministry and nearly forty-eight years at this church, my dad’s reputation speaks for itself. He has served Christ and the people of this church and community well. God is honored. People served. The name of Christ exalted. His service exemplary.
What We Notice
What an honor to serve Christ in pastoral ministry. God takes it seriously. He provided lists of character requirements for pastors (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9; cf. 1 Pet 5:1-5; Eph 4:11-16). These are high standards. The reality is that no one is perfect. Every pastor you know (including this writer) sins. Sadly we all are weak. We fail in one way or another. God does not require perfection; however, pastors are called to lives consistent with these incredibly high standards of character, conduct, and reputation. Pastors are undershepherds for the Great Shepherd (1 Pet 5:2). They speak biblical truth for which they are accountable (James 3:1). They protect people as they watch out for their souls (Hebrews 13:17). They share people’s burdens (Gal 6:1-5). They implore people to accept Christ for salvation (2 Cor 5:18-20). They encourage people to live for Christ (1 Thess 5:12). They exhort people to give up sin and be holy (1 Thess 5:12).
As friends and family, current and past church members, and members of the community, we honor my dad for living in this way. The day one assumes the role of pastor, every day becomes an opportunity to either honor Christ and the role to which one is called or an opportunity to bring dishonor, reproach, and shame. On this day, we observe together that these criteria have been met. We rejoice in God’s grace in my dad’s life. He finishes his final day in this pastoral ministry having ran his race well.
We also notice as friends and family that my mom has served Christ and the church alongside him just as faithfully as he. It is hard to capture the life of a pastor’s wife. Some have referred to the pastor’s home as life in a fishbowl. Regardless of how you want to describe it, a pastor’s wife goes through everything that her husband does and more. Her role is to love him, walk beside him, serve him, support him, and rear a family with him. All the while she shares her husband with the community. These tasks are not easy. In the case of many pastors’ wives, like my mom, you then add to these her own teaching, counseling, and other ministry responsibilities. She has served dad, her children, grandchildren, friends, and church with distinction. She has been loyal to Christ and her husband’s calling while maintaining her own walk with Christ, sweet spirit, and endless service to others.
Pastoral ministry is difficult. Every day the pastor, his wife, and family are called to sacrificially give of themselves for people. The demands of this leadership never end. It is impossible to be faithful to this role and clock out at the end of the day. Time off, vacation, and down time are relative terms. Hospital calls, home visits, and other people’s emergencies become part and parcel of the pastor’s home. This is not an easy burden, and often I am afraid is the reason why pastors fail at it. It can mean packed days and lonely nights as the pastor and his wife both together choose service over self.
The demands of pastoral ministry are immense. Anytime you deal with people, you are also going to have to deal with suffering and sin as you enter into people’s lives. At times, those in the church and community that are served so selflessly can often for reasons of personal preference, offense, and sin create an even harder environment to do this work. Yet, I have never heard my parents complain, criticize, or otherwise be grumpy about the burdens, the people, the disappointments, or the general difficulties of serving Christ. Instead, they have always reminded us that we serve Christ motivated by His love and sustained by His grace.
What We Feel
Today as a family, alongside the church family at Grace, we give God the glory as we honor our parents’ ministry at Grace Baptist Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. We rejoice in what we have seen. We celebrate the victories. We remember those who have been saved, baptized, and have grown in Christ. We recognize how God has called a number of men and women through this ministry to also go serve Him vocationally and bi-vocationally in ministry. We humbly point people to rejoice in the providence of God, His sustaining and enabling grace, the power of the Gospel, and His sufficient Word while we stop to recognize the faithfulness of God’s choice servants.
Today is a weird day for so many of us. Since I was born, not one day in my life have I ever awakened without knowing my dad as the pastor of my church and then my home church. We watch them lay aside a role in which they have humbly served. Neither of them have ever lived for the recognition, the limelight, or accolades of their positions.
We also recognize today that my dad and mom have not done this alone. Space does not allow to mention the scores of names of all those who have loved, served, and walked with Christ and each other all along this path. So many of these dear folks over the almost fifty years have already crossed over into eternity. We honor the courage, humility, and trust of those who in the earliest of days offered my dad the opportunity to pastor the church in which he grew up. All along the way, we recognize the tireless efforts of many, day in and day out, to help carry the banner of Christ in Bowling Green, southcentral Kentucky, and around the world. Many of them have become our family and have served my family with incredible sacrifice, creativity, and generosity. To say the least, this has been a group effort and magnifies God’s grace, demonstrates God’s patience and perseverance, highlights God’s creativity, and helps us long for the day we get to live sinless with Christ together in heaven. For all of those, we love you and are so thankful for your part in this journey with my parents.
What We Do
On this day we celebrate God, my parents, and a ministry. We bring God glory for the good things He has done in them and through them. We embrace change. We are challenged in the Bible to observe those who walk with Jesus as examples (Phil 3:12-21). We have watched. We are grateful. We hope and resolve to follow Jesus and serve Him in similar ways for God’s glory.
Pastor Kevin’s Blog | Walking together through life as friends in Christ sharing wisdom along the journey
Kevin, great tribute to your mom and dad for their 49 years of ministry. Thank you.
Will done thou good and faithful (servants): never a better brother or sister to lead by example. You’ve always had my Love.
Great tribute to your Mom and Dad. I know the Grace family will miss them.
His, will be hard shoes to fill.
We enjoyed so much having all of our family with us. I know it was hard making that fast of a trip but it was a tremendous blessing to have you there. The day was overwhelming and we feel undeserved but deeply appreciated. To the Lord goes
our praise! We fail more than we care to think but His grace exceeds our failures