Accordian-style file folders litter the floor of Roger Willmore’s pastor’s study. Some bulge out of control, nearing their time of use. Others are thin and crisp, the scent of Sharpie still lingering in the air.
The folders tell the story of where Willmore will be journeying through the Scripture as he prepares his next sermons. A glance around the floor would find Luke 9:57–62 (the cost of discipleship), John 10:10 (abundant life in Christ) and Philippians 2:5–11 (the lordship of Jesus Christ) as some recently completed sermons.
Willmore, pastor of Deerfoot Baptist Church, Trussville, in Birmingham Baptist Association, said as soon as he lands on a text, he starts a folder and then drops in any material he finds related to the text or topic.
“I’m always thinking and preparing,” he said. “My supreme responsibility is to feed the flock of God. No matter what else I might do, I will always be a preacher first.”
A closer look will find one folder that predates all the rest. Tattered and torn from nearly a year of use, it contains notes, clippings and other papers currently being molded into the sermon “Legacy of a Spiritual Leader” from 2 Chronicles 29:1–5 and 2 Kings 18:5–6.
While Willmore pays careful attention to all sermons, this particular topic and text have captured even more of his focus because this sermon surfaces as one of his ministry highlights — the president’s address of the Alabama Baptist State Convention (ABSC) annual meeting.
Willmore, president of the ABSC, began preparing for this address as soon as he was elected last November in Birmingham.
And Willmore will unveil the fruit of his work Nov. 13 at Cottage Hill Baptist Church, Mobile, where convention messengers will gather for their annual two-day meeting Nov. 13–14.
“I believe the greatest legacy a leader can leave is simply to be faithful to God,” he explained. “This kind of faithfulness does not always make the headlines. It doesn’t always elevate a person to prominence and fame. It doesn’t always produce megachurches.
“But it does always please the Father and bring glory to Him,” Willmore said. “Faithfulness to God can be costly and even painful, but at the end of the day, faithfulness to God and His Word is all that matters.”
Pointing to his selected Scripture text, he said, “The great revival of the Old Testament occurred under the leadership of King Hezekiah. … God said there was never anyone like Hezekiah (before or after him). That’s a legacy.
“I will appeal to my fellow pastors and church leaders and to all Alabama Baptists to leave a lasting legacy of faithfulness to God, no matter the costs.”
And the cost is there, Willmore has said to audiences in various venues through the years, sounding a challenge to Christian leaders.
Seeking holiness
In 2005, he encouraged students at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., to live a life of holiness.
Although holiness is a hard path, it is attainable for every Christian because of the victory over sin won by Jesus Christ, Willmore said.
“Sometimes when we see those giants of the faith, we think they must somehow have an edge on us,” he said. “But the holinesss to which God calls us is a holiness that each one of us can experience. It’s not an easy path; it’s a hard path.
“It’s something that requires a price to be paid,” Willmore explained. “Every time you see a giant in the faith, that person paid a price to get there.”
Willmore said he is burdened to bring Christians to the “banquet table” of Christ. “So many people are in Christ but have never been told or know all that is available to them,” he said. “They are missing out on the abundance of Christ that is made available to them.”
In his 36 years of ministry, Willmore has worked to sound the trumpet of this abundant life. Claiming Colossians 1:28–29 as his life ministry Scripture, he said, “The aim of my ministry is that at the end of the day, I will be able to present to Christ those who are under my care as mature Christians.”
Willmore even started his state convention presidency with the idea that he would be ministering to pastors across the state.
But what he discovered was that God had a different plan. “I’ve found myself very involved in academic settings with students, colleges and seminaries,” Willmore said. “This was not originally by design, not something I’ve anticipated, but it has turned out to be a wonderful experience for me.”
Preaching in seminary chapel services is nothing new to him, but this year, he has had a different perspective.
“I’ve been able to pour into the lives of many kids out of my years of ministry,” Willmore said, noting he has spent much of his time working with and encouraging young men and women preparing for the ministry.
This year, Willmore has also preached in chapel at Judson College in Marion; Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham; Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, Calif.; and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. While at Southwestern, he lectured in two pastoral ministries classes.
His work with and appreciation for Christian higher education doesn’t stop there though. Willmore spent a great deal of his year as president deepening his relationship with Alabama Baptists’ three schools — Judson, Samford and the University of Mobile (UM).
“I feel that I have heard the heartbeat of the college presidents, Drs. Potts (Judson), Foley (UM) and Westmoreland (Samford),” said Willmore, who holds an honorary doctorate from UM. “Without exception, I see in these men a genuine love for God, a genuine care for our young men and women who are students at our institutions of higher learning and a genuine loyalty to the Alabama Baptist State Convention.”
Willmore has had each of the presidents in his church as a guest and has spent time promoting each school. He has also taught at Beeson’s pastors school for 10 years.
Willmore’s admiration extends beyond the schools, however. He also sees the convention as a whole as healthy.
“I have sat in on almost all of our entity board meetings, and I have gained a great appreciation for the nuts and bolts inner workings of our convention,” Willmore noted. “We are a healthy convention. … We understand the value of the Cooperative Program.
“Kingdom ministry is first and foremost in the heart of Alabama Baptists,” he said. “We are people on mission.”
Willmore, who has agreed to be nominated for a second one-year term as president, said, “There is a healthy level of trust of one another (within the state convention).
“I believe Alabama Baptists are a people who understand the value of trusting, loving and respecting one another and work together for our common cause — the Great Commission,” he said. “My goal is to keep our convention moving and growing in that direction.”
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