There’s an old adage that says every pastor needs a Paul and a Timothy in their lives, according to Scott Guffin, executive director of Christian ministry at Samford University.
“You need a mentor who’s been through the trenches, and you need to pour your life into younger men who haven’t yet been to the trenches,” he explained. “Paul is very clear about this in 2 Timothy 2 when he counseled Timothy to raise up leaders.”
Subscribe to The Alabama Baptist today!
SIGN UP for our weekly Highlights emails.
Guffin spoke Nov. 20 to ministers in Birmingham Metro Baptist Association, completing the BMBA’s three-part emphasis on “Calling Out The Called.”
“What we know is that 500 Alabama Baptist churches need pastors, and 400 of them need to be bivocational,” Guffin asserted. “One of the measures of effectiveness in evangelism is that it continues in the next generation. We must be intentional in encouraging and mentoring those called of God to serve our churches.”
Guffin related five “D’s” for ministry.
“We must practice discernment,” he said first. “When I was called to be a pastor as a teenager, I didn’t run like Jonah. I was confused. So I think we can help young men understand the call of God — and older men, for that matter. Sometimes men are called later in life, and we need to help them navigate this too.”
Relationships
Guffin also noted that discipleship includes preaching and proclaiming, but discipling is relational and cannot be done from the pulpit.
“I was able to baptize a man who played on our softball team, so it is important to foster relationships with people,” he related. “And I’m always happy to have our students come to my office and we talk about God’s call and their ministries. A closed office door is a terrible thing in ministry.
“Some of us are introverts, and we can be happy with our books, but we must work at relationships with people.”
The third “D” is demonstration, Guffin said, which can include “ride-alongs” when pastors take “the called” for hospital or outreach visits, and inviting them to leadership meetings like deacons or the finance committee.
Guffin said the fourth “D” is direction, and exhorted ministers to “bring people together” by taking newly called ministers to pastor and state convention meetings so they can meet people with whom they might work later.
“These colleagues can help the newly called to know about opportunities to serve and new ideas in ministry,” Guffin explained. “Other ministers can help us as we try to help others in the process of growing and learning.”
Finally, he urged “deployment.”
“We must send out those who are called out!” Guffin declared. “And we support them by staying connected.”
He encouraged the ministers to be positive about serving when talking with the newly called.
“Don’t make it sound so terrible,” he said with a laugh. “People can be a challenge, but working with people can be fulfilling.”
Guffin can be reached at slguffin@samford.edu.
Share with others: