More Resilience
Welcome to the Best Practices Adventist Ministry Podcast. I’m Dave Gemmell.
There's an old slogan from a wristwatch company that says "It takes a lickin', but keeps on tickin'. Today we call that resilience, a must have quality for pastors. Pastors take lickins, from church conflict, to health challenges to personal loss. But in the tumbles of ministry, why are some pastors crushed by lickens and why do other pastors keep on tickin? Or why do some pastors get bitter, and others get better?
In Act One, Tricia Payne shares her story of resilience through a life-threatening medical accident. Tricia is the lead pastor of the Kona Gardens Seventh-day Adventist church in Detroit. Get to know Pastor Tricia a little better by going to her website, Tricia Wynn Payne | The Fight for My Life. There you can learn more about her story in her new book entitled The Fight for My Life.
In Act Two you’ll meet Shawn Brace who got pushback when he began to lead his church into a new vision of church as a body of believers who are living all of life on God's mission. Shawn is the pastor of Bangor Seventh-day Adventist Church but more importantly a husband and a father. Shawn recently replanted his church in the same facility with a new mission. Explore Pastor Brace’s passion for mission in his podcast entitled Mission Lab. “From the heart of the least religious region of the United States, join us - Shawn and Camille Brace - as we explore what it's like to pursue a missional life in Maine. We will discuss and share stories about discipleship, evangelism, church, missional communities, and the gospel - offering practical tips on how to live out the gospel as a family and church in everyday life.”
And finally in act three, Carlton Byrd reveals a tragedy that forever changed his ministry. Carlton is speaker/director of Breath of Life Ministries and lead pastor of the Oakwood University Church. “Breath of Life Ministries seeks to help individuals discover the truth of God’s life-enabling concern for their well-being. The mission of Breath of Life Ministries is to present the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ to all people groups from a contemporary, urban perspective.” Oakwood University Church, on the campus of Oakwood University is a “Christ centered, God-fearing, and Spirit-filled congregation” with the “mission to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ with people from all backgrounds and walks of life. With caring and open hearts, we seek to exemplify our love through multiple ministries and worship experiences intentionally designed to reach our diverse, postmodern society.”
I hope this episode has been as insightful, and inspiring for you as it was for me. These stories all remind us that pastors face unique challenges, and It’s how we respond that reveal our resilience. Thanks for joining us for NAD Ministerial’s Best Practices Adventist Ministry Podcast. We're available on all your favorite platforms. So please like, share and subscribe, so you'll be notified when new episodes are posted. We're here to help you grow. Keep going. But most of all, keep growing for God's glory.
-Dave Gemmell, Host of Adventist Ministry Podcast
