Mentors Revisited

Sorry we haven't posted in much lately, John and I both have been crazy busy. I wanted to take a sec and talk a little about something on my heart the last week or so. John shared a few weeks back about one of his mentors so I want to introduce you to one of mine.

We are heading to Kentucky today to spend some time with my parents and go on a hot air balloon ride, which I am hugely excited about. On Sunday I am preaching at my old church Trammel Fork Baptist in Scottsville, KY. I am really looking forward to seeing my old church family and sharing with them from God's Word and about our vision for Fargo.

To share a bit about Trammel Fork Baptist: It is a small, country church in a small rural town in southern Kentucky. The church is over 200 years old, meeting in a building that was built in the mid 1800s. I served as the student minister and sort of assistant pastor for almost 2 years and God used those two years to really grow me as a minister.

One big reason it was such a place of growth for me was the pastor, Jim Gifford. Jim has been a pastor for over 25 years, taking his first pastorate before he was 20 years old. He is definitely an old school baptist pastor; wears a suit every Sunday and knows Roberts Rules of order almost as good as he knows the Bible (maybe better j/k), and still insists on having a Sun Rise service on Easter morning (I had to get up at 5am).

Regardless of how old school Jim is there are a few things about him that make him someone I want to be like. First off he is a devoted pastor and husband. Trammel Fork is not a mega church, it is actually quite small (only about 50 or so on Sunday morning), but every week Jim spends hours preparing to faithfully preach the Word of God. Of course many pastor put long hours in to their weekly sermon, but Jim does this while maintaining a job that sometimes requires him to put in 50 plus hours a week. On top of that he is an amazing husband who takes is madly in love with his wife Carolyn. It is not odd for me to call him at night and catch him out on a date with her just because. He seems to never waist a moment, whether it is caring for his church members or loving on his wife.

Secondly, he is intentional about training and mentoring future pastors. In the two years I spent at Trammel Fork I grew more as a minister than ever before. Jim doesn't have a curriculum he goes through with young guys, he simply teaches us "on-the-job." I can remember following him through the line at a funeral visitation as he shook hands and hugged necks of family members in mourning. I remember asking him questions about how to deal with certain situations in ministry and hearing stories of how he has deal with similar things in the past. He was so intentional about loving me, training me, and equipping me to fulfill my calling.

Thirdly, he is wise beyond his years. Jim lost his wife after a long battle with cancer back in 2000 or 2001. It was amazing to hear the stories of how he cared for her and fought along side her for so long. Beyond that, 20 plus years of ministry leads to a lot of stories and experiences to share with young ministers. I rarely make decisions concerning my family or ministry without talking to Jim about it. He was a big part of my relationship with Pam, and even officiated the wedding. He has also helped me find my way in ministry as I talked through God's call on my life. And as we move to Fargo in the next several months, he and the church will be one of our main partners.

The reason I share this is that Jim has taught me what is really means to be a pastor. It is not about degrees hanging on the wall, or how many people come to hear you preach, or how many big conferences you get to speak at. It is about loving God, loving people, and living for the Glory of our Creator. Our vision for Fargo is not to raise up a bunch of super pastors, but to raise up a bunch of men like Jim, Godly husband, devoted leaders, humble servants, and hardworking ministers of the Gospel. With men like that we can change the world.