Three Churches in Transition

One is losing a pastor, one is about to gain a pastor, and a third is adjusting to a new pastor.

Sunday morning, John Faull resigned as pastor of Kenner’s Williams Boulevard Baptist Church to accept the invitation of the FBC of Norcross, Georgia, to become their shepherd. He has given some five years to leading Williams Boulevard, and if you have kept up with events, you know these have been some of the most momentuous in our history.

Brother John took upon himself a difficult assignment some five years ago: following Buford Easley, who led that church over 30 years. There’s an old preacher saying that you should never follow a pastor who either died or went to the mission field; in the minds of many, you’ll never measure up. But Brother John’s desire has always been to go where the Lord sends him. He grew up in metro New Orleans and moved here from Atlanta, and did a superior job in trying circumstances.

Now, he’s moving back. We’re grateful for Brother John’s ministry among us and wish him and his family the very best.

Sunday morning, I worshiped with Lakeside Baptist Church in Metairie. Located a block off Veterans Boulevard deep inside Metairie, this church has struggled for as long as I have known them, nearly 2 decades. But good things are about to happen to them.

Sunday, they are voting to call Adam Gillespie as their new pastor.


Adam and Amy Gillespie will be a pastor and wife any church would love to have. A few days ago, he retired as Chief Petty Officer in the U. S. Navy, stationed the last several years at the Belle Chasse Naval Air Station, just below New Orleans. Now, on the surface, they look like the captain of the football team and the head cheerleader but they are far more than that. Some years ago, when Freddie Williford was their pastor at Belle Chasse, they gave their lives to Christ. Since then, Adam became a deacon, chaired the search committee that called Sam Gentry as the present pastor of FBC-Belle Chasse, and received the call into the ministry. He’s now enrolled at NOBTS, where Amy received her master’s degree last May.

They are parents of Gabrielle, Jordan, and Jake, three of the sharpest young people you’ll ever meet. Which is great, since Lakeside seems to have no youth at all. (I predict they’re about to have more. Something about pretty girls seems to draw young men to church!)

For reasons that escape me, Lakeside had begun holding their worship services upstairs in the educational building (beautifully rebuilt since Katrina) and leaving the sanctuary locked up tight. I parked in front of the sanctuary Sunday morning and walked around, searching for the right entrance and something to direct me to the location of the service. I found the congregation, but not without effort. (Later, exiting another way, I noticed a single page taped on the door: “Worship Entrance.”)

“If I become your pastor,” Adam has announced, “We’ll be moving back into the sanctuary.” Good.

The quickest way I can think of to kill a church is to hide its worship services and not let anyone know where you’re meeting.

Adam said, “And we’ll post greeters on the outside of the building to welcome people and let newcomers know where we’re meeting.” Double good.

This being his first pastorate, Adam is excited about the opportunity, even though the number of people who attended the morning service would make up a good Sunday School class in the average church. But God has called him and given him a vision for the church in that neighborhood. Nothing else is more critical than that.

We’ll appreciate the prayers for Lakeside Church and the Gillespies.

Sunday night at the First Baptist Church of Kenner, Pastor Mike Miller–now in his third month as shepherd–passed out “ministry gifts inventory” forms to everyone. I’ve already seen ample evidence of Mike’s focus and vision for this church, and Sunday night provided further proof.

“Our mission needs no discussion or voting,” Mike said. “It’s Matthew 28:18-20. Our task is to make disciples. The three aspects of that are baptizing, teaching, and obeying.”

“The first, baptizing, has to do with connecting people through evangelism and worship; the second, teaching, involves education and discipleship; and the third, obeying, involves serving the Lord in the church and the world, the ultimate goal of discipleship.”

“It comes down to connecting, growing, and serving,” Mike said. “Any program in this church that does not involve one of these, we do not need.”

The “ministry gifts inventory” involved 72 questions, which you answered in one of four ways: 0 = I am seldom or never this way; 1 = I usually am not this way; 2 = I am this way some of the time; and 3 = I am this way most or all of the time.

Some sample questions:

“I like being asked to do jobs at church.”

“I want to comfort Christians who are sick or in distress.”

“I enjoy being used by God to teach and caution large groups of believers.”

At the end, one adds his “scores” and then, by following directions, learns which areas he is most adapted for, such as helps, mercy, hospitality, teaching, prophecy, etc.

“We don’t want to put someone in a place of service just because they are willing,” Mike said. “We want those whom God has called and equipped.”

Mike told of a former church where three men were all out of place: a treasurer who did not want to do the books, an unhappy Sunday School teacher who was a banker and loved to work with figures, and another man who wanted to teach a class. Mike had conversations with each and, quickly, the banker was relieved of his class and became the church treasurer, the treasurer was relieved of the books and was delighted to hand them over, and the other fellow took the Sunday School class, which is thriving to this day.

It’s a matter of finding the position for which the Lord has called and equipped us.

The plan for the future, the pastor said, is for each new member to take this inventory also and for the church office to keep the material on file so that vacancies in ministry positions can be filled with people gifted in those areas.

Some church transitions occur quickly and dramatically. Others take place gradually and imperceptibly. But the fact is, every church is in constant transition.

Every time a member moves away, the church changes. Every time a new member joins, the church grows. Every time a member of the church begins to tithe or learns to pray the prayer of faith or decides to knock on the door of an unchurched friend, the church transitions, becoming a little more of what Christ planned it to be.

“Lord, bless your church. And help me to bless it also.”

2 thoughts on “Three Churches in Transition

  1. Several years ago, the Lord asked me quite clearly “Why are you doing what you are doing at church? Is it because you think you have to, because you have the necessary skills or because it brings you joy?” I realized there were several areas that the reason I was serving was because I had the skills NOT because it brought me joy. I resigned several things, moved in different areas in others and found my spots of joy. In my opinion, that’s when you really begin serving the Lord and having the joy that goes with it.

  2. THE PASTOR IS TO EQUIP THE SAINTS, SO THAT THEY WILL DO THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY.

    The Pastor is not to fill up the church, the members are to do it. Every one has a spiritual gift. Not all have the same gift.Each gift is needed for the ongoing of The Body.

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