Pastor Clay’s Blog #2
To the Saints in Christ Jesus at Central,
The apostle Paul celebrates the Lord’s provisions in Philippians 4:19 by stating, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” The Lord is our Shepherd. Therefore, there is nothing that we lack! (Ps 23:1) Those who are in Christ Jesus have everything that we need and more! I write this blog to remind us of this truth in our faith family. It can become tempting to live in the moment, bound to our circumstances, and controlled by our current emotions that we lose sight of the big picture. This letter aims to zoom out and discover how God is working through Central Baptist Church, for the honor and glory of His great Name!
I last wrote to you a letter titled “Central Vision 2026” in June 2023. It restated God’s vision for His church, where we were, and where He was leading us. The second half of the letter contained goals in the ministry areas of preaching, prayer, discipleship, pastoral discipleship, fellowship, evangelism, local and foreign missions, and more. I want to reveal which goals God has accomplished through us and those within reaching distance.
Preaching – We are scheduled to finish Genesis–Deuteronomy in the 18–24 months I anticipated after beginning last September. The Lord continues to teach us of His faithfulness through His redemptive plan and how all His covenantal promises find their “Yes” in the Lord Jesus!
Prayer – We continue to emphasize prayer through our Sunday morning prayer hour and weekly prayer meets led by our members. Prayer remains a focus for our small group Bible studies and Core Discipleship groups. We also emphasize prayer through our new evangelistic initiative, listed below! However, we can never cease to grow in this area!
Discipleship – Our Core Discipleship participants have increased from 40 to 47 individuals since last June (22 men, 25 women)! We are witnessing our people read through God’s Word from cover to cover for the first time, kids completing our Kid’s Bible Reading Plan, youth and adults completing the F-260 plan, some delving into systematic theology, and more! Core Discipleship (and other influences) has led to a man growing into the deacon office, two youths becoming Sunday School teachers, a child accepting his first serving position in the church, and the list continues! There are multiple other ways discipleship is growing at Central. Last year’s goal was for discipleship to continue to grow, and the Lord is fulfilling this desire and more!
Pastoral Discipleship – One of my primary prayers is that the Lord grant our pastoral staff the opportunity to disciple other men who are called by God and affirmed by the church in pastoral ministry. Our current staff continues to grow in various ways; however, I can also see God potentially working in the lives of several young men in our faith family that He may one day call into pastoral ministry! I will not put these men on the spot, but I will say our Youth and Upper Room Sunday sure was special! We have young men who are faithfully attending our Engaging Exposition preaching and teaching training that I can see the Lord sanctifying their spiritual lives and gifts. Continue praying for God to raise pastors and leaders in our church!
Fellowship – Fellowship continues to strengthen at Central Baptist Church! We are not perfect; however, I can honestly say that there is no significant conflict or disunity in our faith family! I see our people loving one another, carrying each other’s burdens, and having “all things in common” (Acts 2:44). Pastor Joel administered a church survey for his seminary education, and those who participated from our church unanimously agreed that fellowship and unity is present in this body! Like prayer, there is always room for growth!
Evangelism – Central is making evangelism a primary focus after our leaders agreed that this is one of our weakest areas. We recently began a new evangelistic strategy that holds us accountable to meeting and praying for lost people, inviting them to church, and sharing our faith each week with new people. I am encouraged by the initial results! We are also taking time during our Fellowship of Believers service to share evangelistic encounters from the past week. May the Lord provide the increase!
Local Missions – Our partnership with Grace Chapel will come to a close at the year’s end. The church is now at a place where they can provide pastor Thomas Broome with a full-time salary without our financial assistance, which is the goal! I am thankful for God using us to strengthen another local body. We are still searching for a church in our county to assist in a revitalization process that is an excellent fit for both parties. We also have new community outreach plans for upcoming Pray-N-Go services that we will inform you of soon!
Foreign Missions – Last year’s goal was for us to have two international partnerships by 2026 where we actively assist churches/missionaries through prayer, mission teams, and finances. This goal is met! We are now partnering with IMB missionary, Drew Hawthorne, in Lima, Peru, and continuing our partnership with Bread of Life Ministries in Kenya! We will send seven members to Peru and two to Kenya this October!
Children’s Minister – Our goal to hire a children’s minister by 2026 will now come much earlier! We have rearranged personnel salaries for 2025 and continue to increase our budget since the completion of recent maintenance projects. We are in a place to hire a part-time children’s minister to oversee our nursery and children’s ministry! I aim to work with our personnel committee to develop a job description to vote on soon and hire a children’s minister by the beginning of 2025. Please join me in prayer for God’s guidance in this search.
Buildings and Grounds – Since the last letter was written in June of 2023, we have installed new sanctuary lights, completed our parking lot project, replaced/repaired A/C units, purchased and installed new projectors and screens for the sanctuary, and other minor repairs! While there will always be a maintenance list, we are finally at a place where we can address things as they come with no foreseeable costly projects (such as the roof or parking lot)! The Lord is providing as we give cheerfully!
Every goal for 2026 has been met or is in the process of being met soon! This is a testimony to our prayer to the One who “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20)! We celebrate and point all glory and honor to our loving Father, His gracious Son, and comforting Spirit!
While we celebrate, it is significant to note that we are not perfect. We are being perfected. I will never ask or challenge you to do something that I am not willing to do first. Church, make time for the Lord. Be physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally present with Him in His Word and through prayer daily. Next, make time for people. Look for ways to disciple and serve believers in and outside our faith family and intentionally build relationships with the lost. Be consistent with them. I am laboring daily to improve in this area. Central will only be known for reaching a lost world if our pastoral staff takes it seriously first. Join us in striving to consider the eternal destiny of souls more seriously.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor 13:14).
In Christ,
Pastor Clay