Bob Thornton, director of missions (DOM) for Etowah Association, planned his retirement at the end of this year with more than rest in mind. For Thornton, 68, it’s time to re-define his ministry before it defines him.
“I want to make a niche for myself in re-directed ministry before people think I’m too old to do anything,” said Thornton, who pointed to age 70 as a work-related marker that society particularly notices.
Thornton, who has served Etowah Association for more than 11 years, plans to take a short break to devote time to his family after his retirement, effective Dec. 31. He and his wife, Faye, have been married 46 years and have two sons, a daughter and seven grandchildren.
Thornton then hopes to focus his energy and efforts on short-term missions work and intentional interim pastorates. Thornton has received training in intentional interim pastorates, a process in which the pastor contracts with a church for a specific time period, often following church conflict.
Thornton’s vision for his future ministry was molded, in part, by his past experience. Thornton’s interest in missions developed through opportunities Etowah Association had for missions involvement.
Missions partners
The association maintains a partnership with Conemaugh Valley Baptist Association in Pennsylvania to help with church planting and strengthening existing churches.
It also has an international partnership with the “W” people group — an unreached people group that lives in the Delta of Venezuela.
In September, Thornton made his last international missions trip as DOM with a team that went to Venezuela to hand out projectors, generators and DVD players so missionaries and native pastors could play the “Jesus” video for the “W” people in their own language. Campus Crusade partnered with the team to provide the generators.
Etowah Association was the first association to be asked by the International Mission Board to form an international partnership with Paraguay in the mid-1980s, according to Thornton. Since then it also has partnered with Mexico, the Canary Islands and Siberia.
Association-wide partnerships give small churches with limited resources the opportunity to participate in short-term missions, Thornton pointed out.
Etowah Association, which has 93 churches and two mission churches, also participated in and established several local missions endeavors, including a benevolence ministry. A Hispanic mission has been recently established.
Thornton said helping local churches achieve their mission was his objective during his ministry as DOM. “The most rewarding aspect of being a DOM is being able to relate to the pastors and the churches and impact their ministries.”
Before becoming DOM, Thornton — who was born and raised near Tallassee in Elmore County — also served as pastor of six Alabama churches during a 25-year period.
“It’s been a great pilgrimage all the way through,” he said. “I wish every pastor could experience that.” Thornton also served more than eight years in the Air Force, experience he pointed to as preparing him for ministry. He graduated from Samford University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
His most challenging pastorate took place with a highly mobile congregation. “You were constantly rebuilding leadership teams. It’s hard to move forward when you’re rebuilding leadership teams year after year.”
Likewise, the most challenging aspect of his DOM ministry was “working with churches that are in conflict or working with pastors being terminated.”
Another challenge of ministry, according to Thornton, is remaining “on the cutting edge of intentional evangelism.” He pointed to changing societal trends, including ethnicity, and the demands they create to stay relevant.
But the challenge itself continues to define his ministry and drive him to keep working. “That’s kind of what keeps my adrenaline going.”
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