On Thursday morning last week, I had the opportunity to gather with other pastors from the Southwest region of our fellowship. It was a great opportunity to get better acquainted. It also served as a reminder that pastors like myself are regular guys with common life circumstances. I really appreciated the chance to have conversations with most of the men who were there that day. The church that hosted us provided a delicious lunch, and the fellowship was as sweet as the cherry dessert. The very next day, at the Church Ministries Conference in Grand Rapids, was our first opportunity to display our exhibit for Shepherd’s Friend. We saw many familiar faces and met new friends as well. Several conversations underscored the need for a ministry that seeks to encourage pastors. Jennifer and I are already following up with pastors and pastors’ wives who indicated they could use a little encouragement or would like to help us encourage others. Our display location ended up being right next to the display for a classical Christian school. I was thrilled to discover that Bob Davis, of Libertas Christian School, had actually been baptized at First Baptist Church in Wayland, MI, by my dad, Kenneth F. Pierpont, when he was a church planter in the mid-1960s, a couple of years before I was born. Shepherd’s Friend is largely inspired by my dad’s ministry of encouragement to other men over his 60 years in pastoral ministry, so it was gratifying to connect with someone who still remembered my dad’s impact on them so long ago. He did not serve in that position very long. After serving in Vietnam as an Army Chaplain, Dad went on to have a ministry assisting churches that we might refer to as a revitalization. He retired from full-time pastoral ministry at the age of 85, one week before the COVID pandemic broke out. Meeting Bob Davis, who was impacted positively by my dad when he was a young, inexperienced pastor, was encouraging to me. I am grateful to the Lord for the many connections we have made in the last seven days. Every day this week seemed to present another opportunity to encourage someone else in ministry. Even today, I was contacted by someone requesting a follow-up with another pastor who would appreciate some encouragement. If this past week is any indication of what my days will be like with Shepherd’s Friend, we are in for quite a ride. I ask for prayer for me, for Jennifer, for our Board of Directors, and for ministry partners to join our efforts to encourage others in ministr y.
Yesterday, we said goodbye to the pastors who attended the Biblical Counseling training conference organized for Bethesda Academy, which Northeastern Baptist Church helped sponsor at the Rizal Re-Creation Center. The theme was “Equipping the Saints to Equip the Saints.” It was such a blessing to partner with Allyn VanDyk from NBC and John Lehman from Words Fitly Spoken as we shared the last three days with a great group of pastors and their wives. My wife, Jennifer, participated with me in a joint session titled “Counseling Parents of Wayward Children.” She also taught a ladies-only session called “The Unflustered Pastor’s Wife.” My other contributions addressed idols of the heart, data gathering, assigning homework, and thinking Biblically about forgiveness. Allyn did an excellent job with the opening session, “Why Biblical Counseling,” and hit it out of the park with a challenging closing workshop on “The Unhurried Pastor.” Dr. Lehman led a two-session marriage workshop, conducted two role-plays with my wife and me, and taught a foundational session on “Seven Keys to Biblical Counseling” (Or “The Seven I’s of Biblical Counseling”). Our fellowship with these faithful ministry couples was rich and rewarding. We sang at the top of our lungs, and laughed and ate together. For me, launching Shepherd’s Friend will take up my moonlighting hours for the foreseeable future, but it was hard to imagine that the Lord wouldn’t somehow make a reunion possible this side of Glory. We give praise and thanksgiving to God for a long series of answered prayers that made this conference a reality. Allyn amazingly had a Kurzweil Keyboard there for me to play for our worship segments. That was so much fun!
