VIDEOS

More Messages from Robert Creech

From Series: "Turning the Page"

The past year we have shared together has been one great privilege I have experienced in nearly fifty years of ministry amid God’s churches. Melinda and I have been enriched by the story of Trinity Baptist Church, the friendships we’ve formed with so many here, the meaningful moments of worship together, and the testimony of faithful followers of Christ who serve here. It has been a joy to have worked alongside gifted staff members, godly and devoted deacons, and hardworking, faithful trustees. Thank you for trusting me with this responsibility. I look foward to continuing these relationships in the years ahead, although in a different role. I have a difficult time putting into words what it is like to be called “pastor” by God’s people. The relationship between a pastor and a congregation is like nothing else I have known in my life. I’m delighted you’ll be using that title to speak of my friend, Dr. Matt Homeyer, in only a few weeks. I anticipate a long and fruitful relationship between Dr. Homeyer and TBC that will extend your storied history into a new and blessed future. We will spend our last four Sundays prayerfully and thoughtfully preparing to receive Dr. Homeyer and his family into Trinity Baptist Church as the fifth Senior Pastor. We will consider guidance Scripture offers about the distinctive relationship between a pastor and the congregation as you turn a page in TBC’s story. On January 8th, we’ll hear from 1 Corinthians 3:5-17 and 1 Peter 2:9-10 and be reminded that this church belongs neither to the pastor nor the congregation. Both the pastor and the congregation belong to the church, and the church belongs to God. We’ll be answering the question, “Whose Church is it Anyway?” January 15th, the question before us is “What’s a Pastor To Do?” Attending to 1 Peter 5:1-4 and 1 Timothy 2:1-4, we’ll think about the realistic, legitimate, biblical expectations a congregation ought to hold for its pastor. That may take some adjustments on the part of some of us. But it is always good to clarify expectations at the outset of a new relationship. The following Sunday, January 22nd, will look to the other side of the equation. The question is, “What do YOU Bring to the Table?” We will consider what your pastor has a realistic, legitimate, biblical right to expect of the congregation. At times like this, churches often focus on “what kind of pastor do we want?” but fail to ask, “what kind of church members do we need to be?” We’ll give that some thought by listening to texts like 1 Thessalonians 5:12- 13 and Hebrews 13:18. Finally, on January 29th, our last Sunday in this relationship we’ve shared, we will turn to Philippians 1:3-8 to anticipate this new partnership in the gospel that God is forming between Trinity Baptist Church and Dr. Matt Homeyer. We will consider building a sustainable ministry in which, over time, the pastor, the congregation, and the community we serve all flourish.