Mud Creek Association helps pastors grow

Mud Creek Association helps pastors grow

“Pastors need other pastors.” It’s a common saying, but it’s also a truth that Mud Creek Baptist Association grasps. 

That’s why it has events like the April 29 Ministers Meeting for associational pastors and their wives. Organized by Mud Creek Association Director of Missions Ken Maddox, the meeting sought to provide “practical, actionable, usable insights to strengthen [pastors’] vision for personal growth and a compelling vision for church growth,” according to Maddox. 

Lamar Duke, lead church planting strategist in the office of associational missions and church planting for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, led the meeting which featured a fellowship meal, a message and two practical sessions. Duke shared a message of encouragement from Ephesians 3:14–21 about rediscovering the church where God has placed you. 

In the first practical session, he spoke on the importance of prioritizing your entire life. Drawing from Matthew 22:37–40, Duke explored the order of placing God first, spouse second and self third, followed by others, things and church. 

“Self is the bucket in which we carry love for others,” he emphasized, also bringing attention to “the tyranny of the urgent” that’s always trying to shift our focus from the truly important things in life. 

The second practical session focused on how to lead change in a church or organization. Within that, Duke and participants discussed “built-in resistance to change” and how to identify and lead “key influencers to advance the cause of Christ,” Duke said.