Testimony

I have been actively serving God from the day I was saved by faith in Christ, February 28, 1976. As a child both I and my parents were in and out of Churches, many of them good Churches, but at that time I did not truly understand what it meant to be a Christian. A Presbyterian by birth, I joined the Church and was baptized as a child. I learned the catechisms, studied hard, and did everything I could do to win the praise of men. But in joining the Church I never met the One who is its cornerstone (Ephesians 2.20), Jesus Christ.

I accepted Christ as my Savior while at a old time tent Revival when I was 17 years old. The preacher - I cannot remember his name - clearly presented Jesus Christ as the only Way unto God. During the altar call I went forward and, with no reservations, gave myself to Jesus. As I had joined the military by delayed enlistment in the tenth grade of my High School. Shortly after my new birth and following my graduation from Garner Senior High School (NC) I became a part of the United States Air Force, leaving my childhood home.

While stationed in Georgia at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Geogia, I married the love of my life, Sherry (Carter), and became a part of Lochlaurel Baptist Church on May 23, 1982. This was the same Church that would later ordain me as a Deacon, and then several years later license me to the Gospel Ministry.

In 1988 the Air Force reassigned me to a remote duty station in Kunsan, South Korea. I left my family in Valdosta, Georgia during the next 13 months. Following that assignment I returned to Georgia, and as a family we were reassigned to Alconberry, England. Following that three year assignment our family moved from England to Spokane Air Force Base, Washington. While in Washington I retired from active duty, and was given an Honorable Discharge on September 1, 1994. During my time in service I was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal once, three times awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal, and was five times awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. I praise the Lord Jesus for my time in service to my country.

Returning to Valdosta Georgia, we began to serve the Lord once more at Loch Laurel Baptist Church. By February 26, 1995, I was ordained a Deacon at this lovely Church. While serving as a Deacon, Pastor Franklin Cason called on me one Sunday to fill the pulpit when he suddenly became ill. I stood behind the pulpit and, as I spoke, felt the Lord Jesus was calling me to the Gospel ministry. On March 24, 1996, with the blessing of my local Church (Loch Laurel Baptist), I resigned as deacon and was licensed to the Gospel Ministry.

On June 9, 1999, the Lord Jesus sent me to Pastor Okapilco Baptist Church in Quitman, Georgia. I was subsequently ordained to the Gospel Ministry by Greenwood Baptist Church on August 22, 1999. I am grateful to Okapilco for their loving support, and for all the Lord taught me while I was with this precious congregation.

On June 8, 2003, the Lord Jesus sent me to Pastor Rock Hill Baptist Church in Lexington, Tennessee. When I arrived at Rock Hill there were an average of 38 members in Sunday School, and perhaps 45 or so in Worship Services. Over the next 6 3/4 years the Lord richly blessed our ministry. Following two years of prayer and ministry of the Word of God the Church began to grow. Over the next 4 years we baptized 68 new brothers and sisters in Christ. The Sunday School grew from 38 to 78 to eventually reach an average of 100. Rock Hill was awarded the "Fastest Growing Sunday School, Small Church Division" for the Tennessee Baptist Convention in 2006, 2007, and 2008. The Worship Services grew to around 150 people. Discipleship Training was started on Tuesday nights, Prayer and Bible teaching on Wednesday nights, and outreaches to the shut-ins and Lexington Manor Nursing Home were established. Rock Hill Baptist Church built a 16,000 square foot Sunday School Annex and Fellowship Hall to accommodate the growing congregation. Today the congregation is preparing to build a new Sanctuary, and is still one of the fastest growing and most loving Churches in Western Tennessee.

On March 2, 2010, the Lord Jesus sent me to Pastor Good Hope Baptist Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina. We are rebuilding and, as the Lord gives us direction, growing into what He wants us to be for His glory.

Education

Pastorates Served

Pastoral Outreaches

Ministry Philosophy

The Lord called me into ministry following a wonderful career in the United States Air Force. The people and teamwork skills I was taught in my military service are the same skills I apply in my local Church ministry. My Commander In Chief is Jesus Christ, and His Word - the Holy Bible - is to be preached and lived without question. I believe the local Church is an assembly of born again Christians all commissioned by Jesus Christ to win the world for Him. Each Christian is a priest of God and a member of the royal family of God (Revelation 1:6), a cherished and loved son of God. Each believer has the potential to do great things for the Lord, both individually and especially within the framework of the local Church. When Christians bind together as a local Church they become an invincible force for God. It is imperative that the local Church work together as a team to accomplish the goals of our Lord and Savior. Whatever we as a Body bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever we loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven (Matthew 18:18-19). If we as a Body agree on earth as touching anything we shall ask it shall be done of our Father who is in Heaven. Teamwork and cohesion are therefore imperative for the local Church. Jesus prayed that His Church would be one as He and the Father are one (John 17:11).

When the local Church is murmuring and divisive the Lord cannot bless its ministry. The local Church must be one with God as well as one in unity with one another - else the world will not believe the claims of Christ (John 17:21).

A young man - now an inactive member of his local Church - stood before me and declared "I pay your salary. You are here to serve me." This type of attitude is destroying the effect of Christ's Church in America today. The local Church is not a fast food restaurant or a supermarket where people drop by, drop off their money, and quickly fill their needs. The local Church is a living Body of believers, Christians all, seeking to serve God by spreading the Gospel of Christ throughout the world. Each believer in the local Church is called to work together within that Body to go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19-20). This is not a one person job - it is the calling of the local Church.

The Pastor is not to be a hireling, but a teacher, a mentor, a protector, and a shepherd of the local Church. Jesus said "he that is a hireling and not the shepherd ... seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth". The Pastor should love the flock, the local Church. If the Pastor loves Jesus then he is commanded to, first and foremost, feed the lambs and feed the sheep (John 21:15-16). The Pastor is to oversee all the flock, to feed it, to cherish it, realizing that this local Church was purchased with the very shed Blood of God (Acts 20:28).

The Pastor feeds the Church by preaching and teaching from the Holy Bible, the Word of God. In short, the Pastor's job is to teach every Christian how to be a better believer-priest; how to pray and study their Bibles; how to seek and fill a place of service in the Body of Christ. The Pastor's job is not to please the Church. He is to please the Lord by overseeing the Church - not as a dictator - but as a shepherd guided by the principles of Christ.

The Pastor must love his assigned Church enough to pray for it daily. The Pastor must be willing to die for his charge, if need be, for the local Church is precious to Christ. The Pastor must preach the Word; persisting in that Word whether it is convenient or not, whether it is well received or not. He must rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching (2 Timothy 4:2). The Pastor who exists to please the flock has no place in ministry. We are all here to please Jesus and to learn His Word. Conversely, the Pastor is not the autocratic head of the Church. The Head of the Church is Jesus Christ, and the Pastor - in love - represents Him. Pastors are - as servants of the Lord - to be gentle to all, to teach, to be patient, in meekness instructing those who are in opposition to them (2 Timothy 2:24-25). The Pastor is not the local Church's doormat, neither is he the local Church's whip. He gracefully rules and guides the local Church is spiritual matters (Hebrews 13:7) while modeling Christ to all. The Pastor watches over the souls of the local Church (Hebrews 13:17), and each member of the local Church - if wise - should willingly listen to and submit to his teaching and preaching ministry insofar as it adheres to the clear teaching of the Word of God. Those who seek to unjustly overthrow or subvert their Pastor do that which is unprofitable to themselves - and to the local Church. (Hebrews 13:17).

The Pastor washes the feet of the Church (John 13:1-15) by making himself available to the flock. He comforts the flock in time of bereavement or sickness. As Pastor I visit the hospitals, long term care facilities (nursing homes), member's homes (at their request), and enjoy doing so. Mailings of sermons and Bible teachings are weekly distributed to 50 households that cannot - due to physical limitations - attend Church.

I am an Expository Preacher. That means I consider every Word of God's Holy Scripture to be precious, and treat it as such. If you are used to preachers entertaining you for 30 minutes on Sunday, my preaching would not please you. Though I may tell a joke or use an illustration while preaching, the intent is to drive the Biblical text into the hearts of the listeners.

As a pastor I feel that it my obligation to lead the Church toward missions, both local as well as international. Examples from local Churches that I have pastored are:

Rock Hill Baptist Church responded to their Pastor's leadership by establishing both Brotherhood as well as Sisterhood ministries to do local mission projects. Rock Hill also sends medical and construction missionary teams annually to Belize, Central America, and financially supports an independent mission in Kenya. The Rock Hill Youth on Mission partner with International Baptist Church in Memphis annually to provide outreach to the needy and homeless.

Good Hope Baptist Church was active in World Changers (North American Mission Board) when I became their Pastor. Under the leadership of Youth Ministers Terry McFarland and his wife, Laurie Ann, they recently went on mission with a crew of 23 Young People to Daytona Beach, Florida. There the World Changers reached out to those in need while sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though I was unable to attend this event, my wife Sherry went as a chaperone. Good Hope has also recently established a Food Bank for the needy in our community.

As the Pastor I counsel the members of the local Church on an as needed basis. All counseling is private, and all confidences are maintained between the Pastor and the person counseled. The Air Force gave me extensive training in counseling techniques, and in my ministry I have provided premarital counseling, marital counseling, and grief counseling. I am able to perform, as needed, baptisms, the Lord's Table, baby dedications, funerals, and weddings.

Family

I consider my wife Sherry an integral part of my life and my ministry. If I am called to be your pastor, you need to know that my wife is always in attendance - or at least in the next room - when I counsel the women and children of the Church. This is in keeping with the Scriptural injunction of 1 Thessalonians 5:22, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." As the Pastor I always visit Church members in the hospital, at funeral homes when a loved one reaches the end of this life, or when called. In all appropriate instances Sherry accompanies me. You will find her to be an exemplary Pastor's wife.

Sherry and I were married on August 12, 1978. She has always worked among the younger children in the church, and has managed youth programs. We have had three children.

Michael Enoch (born August 1, 1979) is my oldest son. He married April Pollock, a Christian and a school teacher, on March 8, 2003. Michael is serving in full time Christian Service as Youth Minister at Crosspointe (Baptist) Church in Valdosta, Georgia. Our middle son, Stephen Paul, went to be with the Lord on October 1, 1998. Our youngest son, Matthew Salem (born March 12, 1983), is still in Tennessee. All of my immediate family has accepted Christ as Savior, and have followed Jesus in baptism. Michael accepted Christ as Savior on July 23, 1986; Stephen (who is with the Lord now) accepted Christ as Savior on December 25, 1994; and Matthew accepted Christ as Savior on January 15, 1995.

References

Doctrinal Statement

I am a Baptist affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, and support and affirm the current Baptist Faith and Message.

Of the Scriptures

I believe in the authority and sufficiency of the Holy Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, as originally written; that it was verbally and plenarily inspired and is the product of Spirit-controlled men, and therefore is infallible and inerrant in all matters of which it speaks. I believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian unity and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creed and opinions shall be tried. I am a Biblical Literalist - that is, I believe the Bible is literally true in all that it affirms, and I study and preach the Scripture as unequivocally the God breathed Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

The True God

I believe there is one and only one living and true God, infinite Spirit, the Maker and supreme Ruler of Heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in every Divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. Exodus 20:2, 3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11.

The Holy Spirit

I believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until God's purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of the gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the Agent in the new birth; that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer. John 14:16, 17; Matthew 28:19; Hebrews 9:14; John 14:26; Luke 1:35; Genesis 1:1-3; John 16:8-11; Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5, 6; Ephesians 1:13, 14; Mark 1:8; John 1:33; Acts 11:16; Luke 24:49; Romans 8:14, 16, 26, 27.

The Devil, or Satan

I believe in the reality and personality of Satan, the Devil; and that he was created by God as an archangel but through pride and rebellion became the enemy of his Creator; that he became the unholy god of this age and the ruler of all the powers of darkness and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. Matthew 4:1-11; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10.

Creation

I believe the Biblical account of the creation of the physical universe, angels, and man; that this account is neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate creative acts of God without any macro-evolutionary process; that man was created by a direct work of God and not from previously existing forms of life; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race. Genesis 1; 2; Colossians 1:16, 17; John 1:3.

The Fall of Man

I believe that man was created in innocence (in the image and likeness of God) under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression Adam fell from his sinless and happy state, and all men sinned in him, in consequence of which all men are sinners, are partakers of Adam's fallen nature, and are sinners by nature and by conduct, and therefore are under just condemnation without defense or excuse. Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-19; 5:12, 19; 1:18, 32.

The Virgin Birth

I believe that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner, born of Mary, a normal virgin woman, as no other man was ever born or can be born of woman, and that He is both the Son of God and God the Son. Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:14.

Salvation

I believe that the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated and wholly of Grace through the mediatorial offices of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who, by the appointment of the Father, voluntarily took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, and honored the divine law by His personal obedience, thus qualifying Himself to be our Savior; that by the shedding of His blood in His death He fully satisfied the just demands of a holy and righteous God regarding sin; that His sacrifice consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner's place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ the Lord bearing our sins in His own body on the tree; that having risen from the dead He is now enthroned in Heaven, and uniting in His wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfection, He is in every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate and an all sufficient Savior. I believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation. Repentance is a change of mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit and is an integral part of saving faith. Jonah 2:9; Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24, 25; John 3:16; Matthew 18:11; Philippians 2:7, 8; Hebrews 2:14-17; Isaiah 53:4-7; 1 John 4:10; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24.

Resurrection and Priesthood of Christ

I believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ and in His ascension into Heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest interceding for us. Matthew 28:6, 7; Luke 24:39; John 20:27; 1 Corinthians 15:4; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:2-6, 51; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 3:21; Hebrews 8:6; 12:2; 7:25; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:1; Hebrews 2:17; 5:9, 10.

Grace and the New Birth

I believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth makes the believer a new creation in Christ Jesus; that the new birth is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about by our sovereign God in a manner above our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel; that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance, faith and newness of life. John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 5:1; Acts 16:20-33; 2 Peter 1:4; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1, 5; Colossians 2:13; John 3:8.

Justification

I believe that justification is that judicial act of God whereby He declares the believer righteous upon the basis of the imputed righteousness of Christ; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any work of righteousness which I have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer's shed blood. Romans 3:24; 4:5; 5:1, 9; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:9.

Sanctification

I believe that sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God accomplished in a threefold manner; first, an eternal act of God, based upon redemption in Christ, establishing the believer in a position of holiness at the moment he trusts the Savior (Positional Sanctification); second, a continuing process in the saint as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to the life as that saint reads, studies, and applies that Word (Progressive Sanctification); third, the final accomplishment of this process at the Lord's return (Glorification or Ultimate Sanctification). Hebrews 10:10-14; 3:1; John 17:17; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 5:25-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 4; 5:23, 24; 1 John 3:2; Jude 24, 25; Revelation 22:11.

The Security of the Saints

I believe that all who are truly born again are kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6; John 10:28, 29; Romans 8:35-39; Jude 1.

The Church

I believe that a local church is an organized congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; and exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word; that its officers are men called and gifted by God the Holy Spirit to be pastors and deacons, whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures. I believe the true mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men. I hold that the local church has the absolute right of self government, free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only Commander is Christ and His Word through the Holy Spirit; that it is Scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the gospel; that each local church is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; that on all matters of membership, of polity, of government, of discipline, of benevolence, the will of the local church is final. 1 Corinthians 11:2; Acts 20:17-28; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Acts 2:41, 42. I believe in the unity of all New Testament believers in the Church which is the Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12, 13; Ephesians 1:22, 23; 3:1-6; 4:11; 5:23; Colossians 1:18; Acts 15:13-18.

Baptism and the Lord's Supper

I believe that Christian baptism is the single immersion of a believer in water to show forth in a solemn and beautiful symbol our identification with the crucified, buried and risen Savior, through Whom I died to sin and rose to a new life; that baptism is to be performed under the authority of the local church; and that it is required for all who desire to be members of local church. I believe that those baptized are so immersed "in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" as Jesus so commanded. Matthew 28:19.

I believe that the Lord's Supper is the commemoration of His death until He come, and should be preceded always by solemn self examination. I believe that the Biblical order of the ordinances is baptism first and then the Lord's Supper, and that participants in the Lord's Supper should be immersed believers. Acts 8:36, 38, 39; John 3:23; Romans 6:3-5; Matthew 3:16; Colossians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41, 42.

Believer Separation

I believe in obedience to the Biblical commands to separate ourselves unto God from worldliness and ecclesiastical apostasy. 2 Corinthians 6:14--7:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:9, 10; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-11.

Civil Government

I believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed; except in those things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ Who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming King of kings. Romans 13:1-7; 2 Sam. 23:3; Exodus 18:21, 22; Acts 23:5; Matthew 22:21; Acts 5:29; 4:19, 20; Daniel 3:17, 18.

The Righteous and the Wicked

I believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only those who are justified by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of our God are truly righteous in His esteem; while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked and under the curse; and this distinction holds among men both in and after death, in the everlasting felicity of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost in the lake of fire. Malachi 3:18; Genesis 18:23; Romans 6:17, 18; 1 John 5:19; Romans 7:6; 6:23; Proverbs 14:32; Luke 16:25; Matthew 25:34-41; John 8:21; Revelation 20:14, 15.