The following archived Journal Standard article by Hilary Matheson brings back a lot of memories.
Posted Aug. 6, 2008 @ 12:01 am
Freeport, Ill.
The son of a pastor, Caleb Kolstad is now into his sixth week as senior pastor of First Baptist Church. Kolstad joined the church after serving First Baptist Church in Carmel, Ind., as an associate pastor for three years. Witnessing the highs and lows, challenges and blessings, as a pastor’s son was a great learning experience, Kolstad said. “There’s a great group of people that make up the congregation and a great staff – Steve, associate pastor, Sandy, the children’s director – so it seemed like a perfect fit,” Kolstad said.
Becoming a pastor was a change in Kolstad’s plans of becoming a sports broadcaster. He gets different responses from friends who remembered him talking about being a sportscaster since junior high.
The responses vary from those who tell him he should use his intelligence in another job and those who give him a lot of respect for his decision. “It depends on really what the perspective of the Christian ministry is. For those who are Christians, they think, as do I, it’s the highest calling God can give to a man,” he said.
Kolstad said the Lord changed his career path and his desire to study the Bible increased. As he was mentored at Grace Community Church in California, he said his choice to enter seminary school was confirmed.
“My belief is whatever you do in life as a Christian you can seek the Lord’s will,” he said. “I could’ve glorified him if he had called me into being a sports broadcaster as much as I could’ve in the ministry, but for me, Psalm 37:4 says ‘Delight yourself in the Lord and I’ll give you the desires of your heart.’
“I think when you’re living for God he makes his desires your desires,” (Psalm 37:4) Kolstad said.
Family Life
Kolstad met his wife, Andrea, at The Master’s College where she received her master’s in Biblical counseling. Balancing life between church and home is often a challenge for pastors, but Kolstad said he is up to the challenge. Taking on the burdens of congregants concerns and problems is something unavoidable for pastors. “You’re getting pulled in all directions, but the advantage is there’s flexibility built into most pastor’s schedules,” he said.
Kolstad said he can always count on his wife to encourage him and be a sound board for his ideas. He also blogs online at “Expository Thoughts,” where he connects with other pastors around the nation for comments and advice.
With a church commitment to expositional preaching, Kolstad said it can take up to 15 hours of preparation and study to write sermons. “Exposition [preaching] is unpacking what a particular text means and applying it to our congregation,” he said.
Read more: http://www.journalstandard.com/article/20080806/News/308069891#ixzz34XtaCPVM
http://www.journalstandard.com/x1600194089/Meet-your-Pastor-New-pastor-joins-First-Baptist-Church
