Author Archives: Pastor Jud

Sonrise Service at New Hope BC in the Bertha Community near Skipperville, AL.

Since my resignation from DBC after nine years of faithful ministry God has greatly blessed Donna and I as we seek His will for our future.  He has provided for us through various blessings and near weekly opportunities to preach the gospel in many churches. We have met a great number of people that we would have otherwise never met.  We appreciate the kindness and generosity of every church family we have come in contact with. We are also greatly blessed with friends and family that have faithfully prayed for us through this time.

Recently I accepted the invitation of the New Hope BC in the Bertha community near Skipperville, AL to serve as their Interim Pastor. This means that I will help them by filling the pulpit and tending to general pastoral duties while they focus their attention on searching for their next pastor. This also helps me to return to the discipline of preparing weekly messages.

Donna and I are still seeking God’s will for a more permanent place of service.  We are convinced that He will open a door soon and we know He will remain faithful to us as we wait.

Please continue to pray for us.

Pastor Jud

Here is the link to Donna’s Etsy Shop:    https://www.etsy.com/shop/craftigirlcreations

Here is the link to Donna’s Facebook Page:   https://www.facebook.com/Craftigirl

How persistent are you in asking God for an answer to your prayer?  Do you ask Him once and never again or do you ask repeatedly. In Luke 11.9-13, Jesus tells us to ask, seek, and knock.  However after a study of the three verbs we find that continuous action is meant and not one time and done.  In other words He is telling us to ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking.  Our persistence shows Him how desperate we are to know His answer.

For the past eleven months we have prayed (asking, seeking, knocking) for a new place of ministry; a church to pastor, a church family to love, and a community to invest ourselves in.  That is what He has called us to be and to do.  I cannot explain God’s ways or His timing, but I am convinced that He has a plan and when the time is right He will reveal that to us.  We have no reason not to trust Him because He has never let us down nor disappointed us and we know He never will.  Until He opens the door, we will keep on asking, seeking, and knocking.

I found this article online and wanted to share it with you.  It is written by a Methodist Pastor in Missouri and describes the growing relationship between a pastor and congregation from beginning through maturity.  Hope you enjoy.   Bro. Jud

I’m Not Your Pastor… Yet. By Shawn Franssens
•Posted on May 21st, 2014

I love being a pastor. I love the sense of God’s call on my life and the way I have been invited to respond to the call.

Now as I prepare to join in God’s work among a people I do not yet know in a land I am only passingly familiar with, I find myself reflecting on how one becomes a pastor to a people. I suggest there is a progression of relationship I do well to keep before me as I explore this emerging opportunity. In fact, I think I will be called to serve in three related, but separated roles: Priest, Pastor, and Prophet. Knowing when to act as each may be the difference between successfully participating in furthering the Kingdom of God or not. (Yes. I think this is that important.)

Start Here: Priest

When I show up on day one, I come as Priest. I bring the authority to order and preside over worship. I will administer the sacraments. I will officiate the weddings. I will bury our dead. It is the observance of our rituals where I will be called to lead. This is an important role rooted in the earliest expressions of our faith. It is a Priest who calls the people to worship. To remember and remind the people of God’s promises. To offer intercession and other forms of prayer. To sing the songs that shape us as God’s people.

This work was so important one of the twelve tribes of Israel was set apart to serve the people in this way with others supporting them and providing for their livelihood; a practice continued with many of our modern-day clergy.

Over time and through shared experiences, those I serve as Priest will come to be known by be and to know me. We will build trust in one another and come to see each other as companions on the journey. When trust becomes acceptance and genuine care and concern is shared, I will move from simply being a Priest into a more intimate role.

Grow Here: Pastor

Though my title may be Pastor when I arrive, the title precedes the relationship. One becomes Pastor, one cannot be assigned as Pastor. Becoming suggests a growing or an unfolding. And this is the way of all relationships. Some will come to accept me as Pastor sooner than others. Some may not at all. That’s because relationships take time, they involve people and personalities, and they don’t follow formulas or well-defined steps.

When the relationship does blossom into one of mutual trust and care, the role of Pastor mirrors Jesus’ relationship with his disciples. The Pastor identifies with the people she/he serves as a friend and a partner in ministry. The Pastor willingly sacrifices for these friends as they explore increasingly deeper levels of love for God and for each other. There may not be a greater joy in life than to be considered someone’s Pastor.

The Pastor may fulfill their greatest responsibility, albeit their more difficult one, when they can speak into the lives of others, not from a place of perceived superiority (spiritual or otherwise), but from the place of deep love. Frequently the words spoken from this place are challenging, perhaps even confrontational, and yet they may be the ultimate expression of our calling.

Challenge Here: Prophet

Provocateur. Trouble-maker. Upsetter of apple carts and money-changing tables. Call them what you will, Prophets are change agents. Given enough time (Oh, how I have rushed this!), Prophets warn, remind, and challenge the people. It is as Prophet that we encourage people to walk to the edge of the comfort zone and step into new territory. It is the Prophet who declares “Thus says the LORD!” It is the Prophet who brings the harsh word that is often hard to hear.

I may never gain the level of trust needed to be Prophet. I may never get a hearing with the people I am called to lead. I will likely feel compelled to speak the prophetic word nonetheless. However, if I try to short-circuit the relationship, if I seek a fast-track to speaking the vision placed on my heart, if I rush to push/pull/prod the people without first building the relational capital necessary to share the fire burning in my bones, we will all suffer for it.

So as I make my transition to a new land and a new people, I will start where I can start; I will do what I have been given permission by the people to do. I pray for the wisdom to know when I have been granted more authority, when I have been invited into a new relationship and a new role. This calling is too important to do anything less.

Life is better together,
Shawn

I’m not posting this for debate, but to help all to understand the path to membership in a Southern Baptist Church.  There may be some variations of this used in churches, that’s ok due to the autonomous nature of SBC congregations.  Some churches require a membership class before or after joining.  I think that is a great and practical requirement as well as some sort of ongoing discipleship ministry for new members as well as those that have been members for a while.

How To Join A Baptist Church

After accepting Christ as your Savior the Bible tells us to associate ourselves with a local New Testament church (Hebrews 10:24-25). A Baptist church is a local assembly of baptized believers who have joined together to carry out Christ’s work on earth. When one becomes a church member he is making a covenant with the other members of the church to do his best with God’s help to live a Christian life and to cooperate with them to do the church’s work.

Three Ways A Baptist Church Accepts Members

There are three ways that most Baptist churches accept persons for membership.  

First, a person may unite by Profession of Faith, or Baptism and become a candidate for baptism. This means that he has trusted Jesus as Savior, is now declaring himself openly as a believer and is asking for membership in the church. Baptism is immersion of a person by putting him under water. Baptism does not help a person be saved. However, Jesus told his followers to be baptized. It symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It is also a pictorial testimony of what has already taken place in the Christian life—death to his old life, its burial, and his resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. Church members vote to receive the candidate for membership following their baptism.   

Second, a person may unite by Letter, or Transfer of Membership. This means that he is already a member of another Baptist church of like faith and order. When one requests membership this way, the church clerk writes the church where he is a member and requests a letter of recommendation. The candidate is not actually a member of the church until the letter of recommendation is received. Once the ‘letter’ is receive the candidate is voted into full membership.  Rarely are letters of transfer granted or requested from churches of other denominations. 

Third, a person may unite by Statement. This means that he was once a Baptist but now is not a part of another Baptist church fellowship. There are many reasons why this occurs. Perhaps the church where a person joined is now disbanded. In some cases a person may have joined a church of another denomination and asked the Baptist church to drop his name from the roll. Most Baptist churches will accept a person’s statement about former membership in another Baptist church. After church members vote to accept the candidate by statement, he is in full fellowship with the church.  

Regardless of the path you took to membership in a Baptist Church, you are important to the fellowship, unity, mission, and integrity of the church.  You are a part of a family, the Body of Christ, and more specifically, a local family of like minded believers placed where you are to make a difference in your community and to reach people for the Kingdom of God.

http://blog.lifeway.com/pastorstoday/2014/03/26/four-types-of-friends-every-pastor-needs/

New sermon.  Take a listen and see why I praise Him.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4w3m6zugx2dxznf/2.9.14%20AM%20Sermon%20Colossians%201.12-14.mp3

Paul was in a Roman prison when he wrote the letter to the Colossian church.  He speaks in the first few verses of his passion for people, prayer, and the progress of the gospel.  Do you have the same passion Paul displayed in his life and speaks of in this letter?  Do I?  As a born again believer I too am a prisoner, a prisoner of Christ.  I pray that my passion for others can be clearly seen.  Here’s a link to the first message from the series on Colossians that I am preaching at Daleville Baptist Church.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jh6um2v8bjgskjv/1.26.14%20AM%20Sermon%20Colossians%201.1-8.mp3