The Kentucky Baptist Foundation (KBF) was established in 1945 and is dedicated to providing socially screened investments, legacy planning and stewardship education to churches and their leaders. Upon receiving the call to be the president of the KBF over three years ago, I quickly established the Pastors Council. This is a group of Kentucky Baptist Convention (KBC) pastors that come together to receive spiritual and financial resources, engage in online interviews with church leaders and enjoy regular fellowship opportunities. Our monthly “PC” e-newsletter has been well received by the pastors and is intended to give encouragement and insight to this ministerial group.
At the KBC Annual Meeting in Somerset, our KBC Pastors Council gathered at a local restaurant for another fellowship dinner and to hear from a retired pastor, Dr. Bill Fort. Having last served as a senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Richmond for more than 20 years, Fort offered tremendous insight for the gathered group of pastors. Here are a few takeaways.
- Ministry is hard. Fort said, “It’s not easy to pastor a church.” Keep using your gifts and watch God bless the church. Bill Fort used his experience to stress that God wants to build up His church, just keep working.
- Have faith. Just as Peter got out of the boat and followed the Lord, so must a pastor. Be careful and watch out for the “waves of the world” that will inevitably come. As the leader of the church, people will need someone on front to follow.
- Get out in the community. Pastor Fort encouraged the church leaders to attend community events, be involved in school sports and stay focused toward the needs around the church. Fort told the gathering “it’s enjoyable” to get out and meet people. Everyone needs Jesus.
Another great KBC retired leader was in attendance, Dr. Don Mathis. I asked him to share a few words. He echoed what Dr. Fort was saying. The impactful evangelist said, “You can’t just stay in your office and build a church.” He shared examples how he evangelized several communities and built great congregations. Several of the pastors asked follow-up questions and seemingly gained more insight from these two leaders.
A number of pastors in attendance thanked me and the KBF for arranging the dinner and especially for choosing the speakers. Christian Naylor, Senior Pastor of Russell Springs Baptist Church, said: “Those guys were good. I really was blessed to hear from them.” Yes, Fort and Mathis poured into these leaders.
The KBC is blessed to have the wisdom of men like Bill Fort and Don Mathis. I recommend that church leaders that desire to grow and make a difference in their communities, contact successful retired pastors to gain insight and inspiration.