Our Blog

Pastor's Points May 2019

Dear Church Family,
I want to take this opportunity to speak in to the recent announcement of my ministry sabbatical that will begin on May 20^th.  First, I want to explain exactly what a ministry sabbatical is. The word sabbatical is drawn from the word Sabbath.  The Hebrew word for Sabbath means to ‘close’ or ‘rest’ and is connected with the last day of Creation when God rested.  (Genesis 2:3)  God both models and commands Sabbath rest for his people.  Rita Hannon of Broom Tree Ministries shares that, “A ministry sabbatical is a  period of time, when ministry leaders and congregation set aside the leader’s normal  responsibilities for the purpose of rest and renewal toward sustained excellence in    ministry.  A ministry sabbatical is a release from the routine of the call for the physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual well-being of the ministry leader.”

By now you should have received a letter from me that informed you of the plan for me to take a planned five- week time a way that will begin on May 20^th. On May 19^th I will have been at Oakhill for thirteen years, and they have been the most fruitful years of my ministry.  I am so thankful to be the pastor of Oakhill Baptist Church, and I pray to be your pastor for many more years to come!  But for this to happen, I need to take this break from the day to day responsibilities of ministry to allow me to rest, renew, and hear from the Lord.  Please believe me when I say that there is nothing wrong.  I am not on the verge of a nervous breakdown J, and I am surely not looking to leave and go somewhere else.  Actually, just the opposite is true.  I believe I need to take this time so that I can continue to be a part of ministry with my church family for many more years to come.

But the reality of the ministry is that it is a calling.  I do not punch a clock, and I am never really off the clock. Ministry is consuming, and this is not a complaint. It is just the truth of the reality of ministry.  As I get older, I want to work smarter.  And part of that effort is to allow the other ministers that I serve with to develop their ministerial abilities as well.  So, during my sabbatical, Pastor Nick will preach two times, Pastor Bryan G. will preach two times, and Pastor Brian Van Doren will preach once.  These pastors as well as our two lay elders, Mike Schloss, and Nick Kessler will make sure that the pastoral care responsibilities of our church are covered.  And our deacons will be ready to help care for the needs of our church as they normally do.  All the ministry of our church will continue as normal.  Ultimately nothing will change.  I just will not be here in the day to day operation of our church during these five weeks.

You may be thinking, well what are you going to be doing while you are away?  Well I am going to rest.  And please pray for me because this may be the hardest thing I will try to do.  I have trouble “turning my mind off” when it comes to ministry.  I am always thinking about the ministry of our church, and the people that make up our church.  I am sure that many of you are the same way with your career.  You find it hard to “turn your mind off” as well.  It is a real struggle, and I must do better at doing it.  Please pray that I will truly rest so I can renew.  I want to hear from God.  I want to be    renewed in my spirit.  I want to grow in my walk and faith.  And to do these things I will be seeking out a few different pastors to meet with to be invested in and learn from while away.  I will also be reading of course God’s Word, but also a few books as well.  One book is called, Leading with Love, by Alexander Strauch, and the other is called Church Unique written by Will Mancini.  I am praying for God to use all of this to make me more into His image.

I love you and I love being your pastor,

Spare Change - May 2019

One of my most favorite parts of being a children’s minister is getting to see little children become followers of Christ.  This is such a special opportunity! It’s truly a wonderful, God-glorifying decision. I love getting to help parents counsel their children in this process; however, many parents struggle to know when their child is ready.  This can be difficult but don’t worry, below I have listed some important steps to help you know if your child is ready.

1. Start with Prayer - Never, never, never underestimate the power of prayer.  Pray that God would speak to your child and call them to be saved.  Pray for wisdom to know if they are ready. Just pray for your child in general.  We can never pray for them enough.

2. Be Patient - The last thing you want to do is rush this process.  If your child is not asking questions or doesn’t seem interested or even if they say they are not ready, don’t worry.  It is better for them to come to that decision on their own rather than pressure from you. However, if they are asking questions and seem to want to know more then don’t wait!

3. Salvation vs. Baptism - Often kids equate salvation with baptism.  Baptism can spark an interest in the child, but they need to understand that being baptized is not the same as being saved.  We make the decision to follow Christ promoted by the Holy Spirit apart from baptism. Baptism is that symbol of spiritual cleansing that unites us with the church.  It is the first step in living out our new faith publically. We want children to be baptized, but only after they have made a profession of faith.

4. Use a Good Resource - Find a good resource that will help you share the gospel.  I love “God’s Plan for Me” from LifeWay. It is designed for children to know and understand the timeless truth of the gospel.  It is also very easy to use and helpful for parents that may not be entirely comfortable with sharing.

5. Use Scripture - It is very important to take the time to look up the scriptures from “God’s Plan for Me” in the Bible and read them outloud.  Kids need to connect their faith back to the Word of God.

6. Avoid “Churchy” Words - Be careful saying things like “lost”, “confess”, or “ask Jesus into your heart”.  Kids are concrete thinkers and can be confused with these words. Try to brainstorm ways to say these things in plain language that they can understand.

7. Ask Open-ended Questions - Make sure to avoid yes-no questions.  We can false lead children to make a decision they are not ready for.  Ask them things like “Can you tell me why you want to do this?” or “Tell me what you understand about how to become a Christian?”

8. If They are Ready - Lead them to pray a prayer of commitment, then rejoice with them!  Share that decision with your pastors and schedule an appointment to talk about baptism.