When God led me to pastor the First Baptist Church of Freeport I had no idea how challenging or demanding the work of church revitalization was going to be. For one, Mark Dever had not yet published his fine series of essays on church revitalization. Second of all, how do you really appreciate and understand something until you have experienced it yourself? Firsthand ministry versus classroom education is often much different. Finally, the work of biblical reformation is often somewhat glamorized in books and movies. Having made it through the past five years of revitalization work I now understand a little bit of what Carl Truman writes of in his fine book, Reformation: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow. I am referring particularly to his masterful chapter on "Meeting the Man of Sorrows: A Theology of the Cross." I will devote an entire blog post or two to that very important topic at a later date in time.
The ministry I inherited in 2008 was in many ways similar to what Paul described in
2 Corinthians 12:19-21, All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding, beloved. For I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there may be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances; I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced.
One pastor familiar with this local church later told me that First Baptist had developed the reputation as a "pastoral graveyard." So much for stepping into the shallow end of the ministry pool for your first senior pastorate.
