Burton marks 30 years at Pintlala

In a world that is constantly changing, it’s good to know there are some constants in life. The congregation of Pintlala Baptist Church, Montgomery Association, appreciates this sentiment.
   
January 13 marked the 30th year Pastor Gary Burton has been touching lives in Pintlala. A lot has changed since January 1972, but through it all, Burton has been there to help lead the church in God’s work.
   
Burton’s wife, Jerrie, remembers thinking from day one that Pintlala was where they were supposed to be.
“When we first arrived here, Gary said he would be here until he died,” she said. “He has never wanted to be anywhere else because he felt this was where the Lord called him to serve. This is such a loving church and the people have been so good to us,” she shared.
   
According to Burton, the basic principles of the ministry are the same now as they were three decades ago, but the method of reaching people has changed to some degree.
   
“The basic things do not change — people still have a deep spiritual hunger,” he said. “Today, however, that hunger can be masked by the fast pace of life. People have become emotionally jaded. It is much more difficult to build relationships with people today than it used to be,” he explained.
   
“These days it takes more commitment and time to build trust than it did 30 years ago. Today people have full plates.
   
Getting people to really devote their lives to Christ and His service causes them to radically adjust their existing priorities. Asking them to have one more priority in their lives is quite a challenge, so you had better have some credibility when issuing such a challenge,” he said.
   
When looking back on the early years at Pintlala, Burton admits he did not have many clear-cut goals, just a desire to do God’s work.
   
“When I started, I don’t really think I had very many well-defined ambitions,” he said. “I wanted to do the best job I could as a preacher, and I was willing to serve. I gave everything I had to those two objectives and was able to see the will of God unfold.
   
“It is amazing to see the progress we have made over time. It has been incremental progress, little changes here and there that translated into big results. When you pledge to live fully for Christ, great things unfold.”
   
The growth of Pintlala Baptist Church over the years is not hard to see. From the number of members to the size of the building, Pintlala has come a long way.
   
However, the growth and progress that Burton is most pleased with cannot be easily measured.
Church growth
   
“Some people measure a church’s success on tangible things like budget, number of members, growth of the church building, etc.,” Burton said. “I prefer to measure our growth based on intangibles.
   
“My hope is to fulfill the mission that God has for us. I pray that we are a more Christlike church now than we were 30 years ago,” Burton added.
   
“It has been said that we are a church in the country but we are not a country church,” he said. “We attract people with spiritual needs, and we have a passion to reach all the people we can.”
   
Looking ahead, Burton believes some of the best years are still to come. At the same time, he reflected on some of the happiest memories from the first 30 years.
   
“My happiest memories have to do with friendships and fellowship,” Burton said. “Sharing your life with friends in times of crisis and success is what cements relationships.”