At any time in Kentucky Baptist life there are roughly 300 KBC churches looking for their next pastor. In June the number was 288 and in July it was 312.
Local churches do not thrive without faithful God-called pastors preaching the word, leading the mission and caring for people. But many of these sister churches are struggling to find a faithful pastor.
Given that the mission of our convention is to help churches reach Kentucky and the world for Christ, we know fulfilling that mission requires that every KBC church is being led by a pastor who is a faithful man of God.
So, how are Kentucky Baptists working together to help churches find their next pastor? Here are six ways:
1. By developing internship programs: While not every pastor serving in a local church today had a ministry mentor, every one of them would have benefited from having one. One way to ensure that up-and-coming pastors have healthy ministry role models is to develop an internship program in your church. Several KBC churches have set aside a budget amount that can be used to help a young man who is answering the call to ministry serve in their church, under their pastor, for a season. This is one way Kentucky Baptists are working together to develop future leaders.
2. By training interim pastors: A faithful interim pastor can either be a game changer in a stagnant or declining church or keeping a strong church from losing momentum as it searches for its next pastor. The KBC provides interim pastor training every year or every other year. There are also other opportunities in our state for transitional interim pastor training. Interim pastors are helping KBC churches by preaching the word, caring for people and addressing pressing issues as a church prepares to call its next pastor.
3. By training pastor search teams: KBC regional consultants and associational mission strategists are doing great work in training local church pastor search teams. Every year dozens of pastor search teams are being equipped for the vital process of discovering candidates, interviewing a potential pastor, preparing pay packages, doing thorough background checks and more. This training is offered to churches without charge and makes a world of difference for these congregations. These leaders are helping churches avoid pitfalls in calling their next pastor.
4. By training future pastors together: In the past two years more than 30 Kentucky Baptist associations or churches have developed training programs for men in Kentucky Baptist churches who are being called to preach. Many of these men have gone on provide supply preaching in KBC churches and some have become pastors. Also, this year Kentucky Baptists invested more than $500,000 in 179 ministerial students from KBC churches to attend Clear Creek, Boyce, or Southern Seminary. While not all these students will become pastors, many of them will — and we are better together when we are investing in their training for future ministry.
5. By networking together: One of the great things about being part of the Kentucky Baptist Convention is the level of networking that exists in our work. Networking is emphasized through the well-known African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Kentucky Baptists can go both far and fast because we are a network of 2,300 churches working together. Imagine the impact when several hundred local churches, associations and convention leaders are working together to help a singular church find its next pastor.
6. By praying together: All of us can pray, and all of us should pray, for sister churches who need their next pastor. The only way Kentucky Baptists will reach Kentucky and the world for Christ is if we are working together for the glory of God, the good of people and the advancement of the gospel. For those things to occur it will require churches of all sizes and locations in our state having the best pastors available to lead those churches. That will only happen through fervent prayer to the One who calls out laborers into a plentiful harvest. All of us can pray for sister churches who are searching for their next pastor.
Kentucky Baptists are indeed working Together for the Mission, and one way that is true is when we are helping sister churches discover and call a man of God as pastor.
Dr. Todd Gray 