Where Does The Time Go?

Text:  Philippians 1:3-6

Focus: “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 1:3-6

Where does the time go??? Five years ago, this month, I was blessed with the honor of becoming the executive director and lead missionary for our Dakota Baptist Convention. It has been a joy serving Jesus with each of you. I want to thank each of our 80+ churches spread across North and South Dakota for the love you have showed to Denise and me, for the prayers you have lifted on our behalf, and the partnership we have enjoyed in advancing the glorious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To our pastors who week in and out faithfully preach the Word, thank you for declaring the truth of the gospel and for caring for the souls of those whom the Chief Shepherd has entrusted to you.

I want to give a special thanks to several men who have made such a great difference in my life and in the life of our convention . . . our Church Relations Missionaries (CRMs). 

When I returned to the Dakotas in April 2020, we were immediately met with the pandemic. In the midst of the changes that resulted across the Southern Baptist Convention, our Executive Board adopted a new structure for our staff, creating part-time positions for four Dakota pastors from various parts of our land. These men accepted the challenge of reaching out to a group of pastors, churches, and associations. They also each took on a statewide assignment to provide encouragement, resourcing, and leadership in particular areas of ministry in our state partnership.

Our original four CRMs were Jeff Musgrave, Sean Donnelly, Everett Hornbostel, and Paul Young. Along the way Chad McCord, Matt Price, Ian Harp, and most recently Josh Brown, stepped in to be part of the Fantastic Four. These men have comforted churches in the loss of pastors, encouraged pastors serving in lonely and isolated parts of the Dakotas, reported on Kingdom work to associations, connected churches with resources, and developed tools and training modules to help our churches fulfill their God-given mission. From Edgemont to Langdon, across the various reservations, in large churches and churches with a regular Sunday attendance less than ten, in our major cities as well as our tiniest villages and towns, these men have given themselves to the cause of the gospel across the Dakotas . . . all while faithfully fulfilling their first calling as pastors of a local church.

These men are a major part of the reason that we have been able to do what we have managed to do in these five wonderful years. And to each of you men who have served and are currently serving as DBC CRMs, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” You have each blessed me far more than you will ever know.