Advent Devotional: Getting Reacquainted with the Prince of Peace

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

At times life can be like a roller coaster with lots of ups and downs. At other times life is like a maze and you don’t know which direction to turn next.

In the creation narrative in Genesis, God is introduced as one who brings order out of chaos, as one who brings light into darkness.  But there may be tumultuous seasons along your journey where your order collapses into chaos,  or moments when it seems the light gives way to darkness. This is especially when there is an unexpected diagnosis, trauma, or death within your family or among your circle of friends.

Of all the names in the Bible that refer to the promised messiah, during the past few years the title “Prince of Peace” has taken on new meaning for our family. Across our years of marriage and ministry, we have been blessed with good health, supportive congregations, and encouraging friends. However, over the past twenty years, we have experienced the sickness and eventual death of multiple family members.

When a family member is being treated for a catastrophic illness, you learn to be extremely flexible. You learn to pray in deeper ways than you have prayed before. You learn not to panic when the phone rings in the middle of the night. You strive to keep all of your family members on the same page regarding care and treatment. You take time to treasure your phone calls and visits with friends and family members because you are more aware of the uncertainty of the future. Such circumstances tend to intensify your stress level and keep your emotions on edge.

God has promised never to leave us but to give us strength in times of adversity. The prophet Isaiah told of a coming messiah who would be an insightful counselor, a proactive God, a dependable parent, and an ambassador of peace. As Christians, we believe that these attributes describe the life, ministry, and disposition of Jesus.

The Apostle Paul encouraged believers to look to the Prince of Peace for strength in every season and every circumstance: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

When unexpected difficulties and challenges come your way, take time to get reacquainted with the Prince of Peace. He will help guide your decisions and guard your emotions as you navigate the twists and turns of life. It is his nature to bring order out of chaos.

Prayer: God of peace, thank you for promising to be with us in all of the seasons of life. Whether we are on the highest mountain or in the lowest valley, grant us inner peace through our companionship with Jesus, who is the ultimate Prince of Peace. Amen.

(Barry Howard serves as a leadership coach with the Center for Healthy Churches and a pastoral counselor with Faith and Hope Counseling Center. He and his wife Amanda reside in Pensacola, Florida.)

A Pastor’s Marriage: 10 Insights from 34 Years of Experience

A few days ago, Amanda and I celebrated our 34th Anniversary. We were married on September 7, 1985 at the Post Oak Springs Baptist Church. Our wedding was simple but beautiful. The church was packed. And our journey together has been quite an adventure with lots of unexpected twists and turns, a journey that has enabled us to learn and grow, and to make quite a few friends along the way.

Our wedding party was small by design. Amanda’s mother served as her matron of honor and my youngest brother served as my best man. The front of the sanctuary was decorated with a lush garden of ferns. After we recited our vows and exchanged our rings, the officiating minister served communion to us and asked God’s blessings on our life and ministry. It was quite a memorable and worshipful occasion, which is the ultimate purpose of a Christian wedding.

After a reception (which in those days featured wedding cake, nuts, mints, and unspiked punch) in the Fellowship Hall we departed for our honeymoon and the real work of marriage began. The merging of two lives is never easy and is often messy. Amanda and I have been blessed. We have tasted both the “for better and for worse” experiences of life, and our relationship has grown stronger during all seasons.

When it comes to marriage, I chose wisely. I resonate with Churchill’s assessment: My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me.

Marriage is perhaps the most unique of all human relationships. The privilege of partnering with one person for life is a blessing and a challenge.

But for the pastor’s family, the challenges are unique. While every marriage has its challenges, a minister’s marriage is lived out in a distinctly translucent context which adds a few additional challenges:

• The glass house syndrome. A minister’s family life requires a little more transparency and is often scrutinized more publicly than the average marriage.
• The swinging pendulum of emotions. Because a minister deals with the emotion of everything in life from birth to death, a minister’s family is subject to lots of emotional fluctuation.
• The burden of confidentiality. A minister deals with sensitive confidential issues perpetually, and although a minister’s spouse is not privy to many of those issues, the duress of confidentiality often bleeds over into the minister’s home life.
• The flexibility challenge. A minister’s schedule is always tentative. Interruptions are a constant. Vacation plans change. Kid’s ball games and concerts are missed. A minister’s life demands extraordinary flexibility.
• The fatigue factor. Many ministers confess that they teeter on the brink of burnout or pastoral fatigue. A minister’s family must not only contend with a parent who is often physically or emotionally tired, but without a sense of balance and a time for refreshing, the weariness can drive the entire family toward “church burnout.”

According to Hebrews 13:4, “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure.” Although this admonition is for the entire faith community, it is especially important for ministers.

To build a healthy marriage, a minister and spouse cannot be naïve to the aforementioned stressors, but rather should take proactive steps to navigate these challenges with faith, discernment, and intentionality. As we have grown through 34 years of marriage, we have gained a few insights into what makes marriage work for us:

• Embrace the uniqueness of the “ministry life.” Life for a minister’s family is not abnormal. It is just a different kind of normal. We try to live into the uniqueness rather than avoiding it or denying it.
• Avoid unrealistic expectations. You will likely encounter a few church members who have unrealistic or idealistic expectations for your work schedule, your preaching topics, and your family life. You will be a more effective minister and you will have a healthier family life if you live out of the wellspring of your gifts and convictions, and not the expectations of others.
• Schedule time for dates. There is a lot of demand on a pastor’s schedule. Calendaring can often be like doing triage. Across the years I learned to calendar appointments with Amanda for lunch dates, dinner dates, sporting events, and other fun activities. Otherwise, my schedule becomes full and we will miss spending quality time together.
• Avoid taking the stress and stories of work home. Usually when a pastor leaves the office, that pastor is still in ministry mode, making evening visits or phone calls, working on preparation for upcoming services, or processing the events of the day. And while I occasionally needed to decompress by discussing an extremely stressful situation, I always tried to avoid discussing the daily debris of ministry with my wife.
• Take your off days and your vacation. I wish I had been a better practitioner of this insight. Only a couple of times during our 34 years have I taken all of my allotted vacation time. However, the older I get, I find that it is more important to take time to rest, refocus, and rejuvenate, for my physical health, my spiritual health, and for the health of our marriage.
• Use extreme discretion in telling stories involving your marriage or family life. All of the congregations I served loved stories and they seemed receptive to illustrative stories from our personal experiences, such as our adventures in tennis, golf, or travels. However, I try to only tell stories that highlight and illustrate how our lives intersect with the application of the biblical text, and I avoid stories that are intimate or critical.
• Do ministry together occasionally. Amanda has her own passion for ministry, and she invests her time and energy in serving, just like any other member of our congregation. However, we occasionally enjoy making hospital visits together, engaging in mission projects together, and even reading and discussing the same books.
• Take care of your health. During our wedding, we pledged to be faithful to each other in sickness and in health. Obviously, we prefer to be healthy. We do a pretty good job of keeping up with our doctor’s visits and we are proactive in caring for our health. Monitoring and managing your health is a part of your stewardship of life.
• Learn when to say “yes” and when to say “no” to invitations. We enjoy being socially active, but there is no way to say yes to every invitation. It is a biblical imperative to “let your yes be yes and your no be no.”
• Keep growing… together. I don’t think anyone, especially a minister and wife, ever reaches a point where you can put your marriage on cruise control. A healthy marriage requires ongoing nurture. There is a big difference in growing old together and getting old together. We want to grow old together by continuing to grow spiritually, intellectually, and intimately.

A healthy marriage may not necessarily make ministry easier, but an unhealthy marriage certainly makes ministry more difficult. If you neglect your marriage in order to preserve your ministry, you are likely to lose both.

I love being married. And I especially love being married to Amanda. We have shared a partnership in life and ministry for 34 years now. And I look forward to many more.

(Barry Howard is a retired pastor who now serves as a leadership coach with the Center for Healthy Churches. He and his wife Amanda reside in Pensacola, Florida.)

There’s More Than One Way to Call a Pastor

When I was a senior in high school, I was elected as the youth representative to the Pastor Search Committee at my home church. The congregation already knew of my call to ministry, so I found it to be an informative, inspiring experience to see firsthand how a Baptist call process worked.

Eight of us served on the committee, and after the first meeting I thought, “This crew will never come to an agreement on a pastoral candidate.” Yet, we began to gel as the search progressed and one Sunday after hearing a candidate preach, we sensed God’s spirit leading us to him more deeply. Within a few weeks, we recommended this candidate to our church as the next senior pastor. It was a rewarding experience.

This all took place prior to video sermons and internet sermon links. So, search committees would collect names and recommendations from church members and neighboring pastors, then get in the car Sunday after Sunday to hear a different preacher.

Most of the candidates our committee considered were just across town. As I recall, the farthest distance we traveled to hear a candidate was about an hour.

A lot of factors have changed since that first search process I participated in over 40 years ago. Here are just a few of the variables that have influenced the ways churches look for a new pastor:

• The internet has made candidates around the country more accessible.
• Churches are less likely to look for candidates in their local communities.
• Video conferencing tools such as Skype and Zoom have made it possible to conduct preliminary interviews without traveling to the candidate’s location.
• Confidentiality is exponentially more challenging due to the proliferation of communication devices.
• Committees tend to focus more on a candidate’s disposition toward the whole portfolio of pastoral responsibilities, not just the central task of preaching.
• Criminal and financial background checks are more readily available and, unfortunately, more necessary.
• References are usually easier to contact by cell phone and video chat.
• There is a greater realization of the need to call a pastor whose strengths are compatible with the potential and personality of a specific congregation.
• Many state conventions have minimized or eliminated minister relations staff members who once assisted in orienting and guiding churches in the pastor search process.
• Search teams tend to place more emphasis on the character, spiritual depth, and emotional intelligence (EQ) of the candidate than on demographic parameters such as age, experience, and education.

Calling a new pastor is one of the most important decisions a church will ever make. Among all the variables that have shifted across the years, there is at least one thing that hasn’t changed: A healthy process of due diligence and spiritual discernment is imperative to making a wise decision in calling your next minister.

There really is more than one way to discover, vet, and call your next pastor. Here are five models or paradigms that a church might consider for their pastor search process:

1. Traditional search model: In a traditional search, much like the search committee that I served on in high school, the church elects a search team that solicits resumes, conducts interviews, and nominates a candidate to the congregation. However, the search team will prayerfully utilize the best resources of communication and technology to research candidates, develop a short list, and then make site visits only to top two or three candidates during the final stages of their process.

2. Pastor-in-waiting model: In this model, a church will engage in a strategic plan to call a co-pastor or associate pastor who is pre-designated to be the next senior pastor upon the retirement or departure of the current senior pastor. This model provides continuity and provides the incoming pastor an opportunity to become more familiar with the day-to-day operations and the unique personality of the church before assuming the senior pastor role.

3. Pastor succession model: Some churches choose to adopt a direct succession model. In this paradigm, once the current pastor gives notice to the church of his or her pending retirement or transition, the search for the next pastor begins while the current pastor continues serving. The aim of this model is for the new pastor to immediately succeed the outgoing pastor without an interim season between. This model tends to only be effective in a healthy congregation where visioning and appreciative inquiry have been implemented effectively under the outgoing pastor’s leadership.

4. Employing a pastor search firm: In this approach, the church contracts with a pastor search firm such as Slingshot Group, Vanderbloemen Group, or Shepherd’s Staff to work with the church to establish search criteria, and then to bring the Pastor Search Committee a candidate or small group of candidates matching those criteria for consideration. Pastor search firms, which operate much like a religious “headhunting” service, are gaining popularity among some churches. While reviews are sometimes mixed regarding the effectiveness of search firms, churches who have experienced a successful search with a search firm are very affirming of the process. They are quick to highlight the importance of the firm providing a competent representative to oversee the search, and the intentionality of the Pastor Search Committee in exercising spiritual discernment when evaluating candidates brought by the search firm.

5. Advanced candidate search: This model, which the Center for Healthy Church (CHC) now offers, is a hybrid of the best of search practices, merging the positive attributes of a traditional candidate search with the wisdom of a veteran pastoral network. Using the tools of your congregational storyline, appreciative inquiry, and a strategic visioning process, a CHC coach will guide your church to create a representative church profile and a focused candidate profile. Then CHC will compile a short list of top tier candidates who match the candidate profile and have convictional congruence with the church profile. This list, along with accompanying biographical data and preaching links, will be presented to the Pastor Search Committee who will be able to begin deeper exploration into more serious candidates more quickly than in a traditional search model. Then, rather than beginning with a stack of 100 resumes, the search committee begins with approximately 10 prime candidates who have been identified because they have a remarkably high level of compatibility with the mission and profile of the congregation, and not because the candidate is simply looking to move.

The transitional season between pastoral tenures can be a time of growth and maturity for your congregation. If your church is beginning a search for a new pastor, never underestimate the leadership of the Spirit. Likewise, be assured that the Spirit uses multiple tools to empower the Pastor Search Committee and the congregation as they navigate the opportunities and obstacles on the road to calling a new pastor.

At the Center for Healthy Churches, we believe that “a healthy church is a community of Jesus followers with shared vision, thriving ministry, and trusted leadership.” Our team of coaches and consultants stand ready to assist your congregation as you affirm your vision for the future, as your congregation adopts the best practices of ministry, and as our congregation enters a season of pastoral transition.

(Dr. Barry Howard is the retired Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Florida.  He currently serves as a coach and consultant with the Center for Healthy Churches.  Along with his wife, Amanda, he lives in Pensacola, Florida.)

Assisi: Walking in the Steps of St. Francis

As our train from Venice approached the Santa Maria degli Angeli station we could see the old town of Assisi sitting on the slope of an Umbrian butte with prominent castles and cathedrals visible from miles away. We headed to our hotel immediately after disembarking, and along the way we saw a few friars walking so routinely that few seemed to notice their presence. There was definitely a spiritual aura here, affirmed by a sense of peace and serenity not present in the larger cities we visited.

Assisi is known world-wide as the home of St. Francis, who was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on July 16, 1228. When I was in college, I took a few semesters of voice lessons, even though I was not a music major. My instructor chose the music I was to learn and since he knew that I was serving as a minister at a local church, one semester he chose “Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace,” the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, as one of the pieces I was to memorize.

The prayer was likely written long after the death of St. Francis in his honor. Later, the prayer was set to music by Sebastian Temple and published in 1967. This selection was also one of the pieces our church choir sang on their 2010 Tour in Italy. I still remember the words and occasionally sing them when no one else is around:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon:
where there is doubt, faith ;
where there is despair, hope
where there is darkness, light
where there is sadness, joy
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen

This experience in college marked my introduction to the prayer and my first acquaintance with St. Francis. Since that time I have read accounts of the life and ministry of St. Francis and I have often quoted him in sermons and columns. Little did I know that I would have the privilege of visiting his hometown not just once, but twice.

Once again this year many of the faithful from around the world are making a summer pilgrimage to this historic place. For some Catholics, making the journey to Assisi is as important, if not more so, than traveling to Rome. Assisi is also a popular destination for seekers and mystics who are exploring and probing their doubts and presuppositions. In other words, some travel to Assisi to re-enforce their spiritual beliefs while others travel to Assisi to discover a higher purpose or a more spiritual meaning to existence.

Last night we visited the central piazza for dinner. Today we will visit the Cathedral of San Rufino where St. Frances was baptized, the Patriarchal Basilica in Santa Maria delgi Agneli where St. Francis died, and the Basilica of St. Francis where St. Francis was buried. Now I can better see how the life and message St. Francis still inspires spiritual pilgrims today.

Volumes have been written about the life of St. Francis, but three emphases from his ministry stand out as particularly relevant to the challenge facing the Christian church, especially Baptists, in the 21st century:

St. Francis emphasized simplicity of lifestyle. In 1206, the young Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone, who would later be known as St. Francis, had a vision of Jesus Christ that transformed his life. A couple of years later he heard a sermon on Matthew 10:9-10, in which Christ tells his followers they should go forth and proclaim the kingdom of heaven, and “do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts. Take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals, or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.”

Francis took this literally and it inspired him to devote himself to a life of poverty and to begin preaching a message of repentance and hope. The message of Francis captured the hearts of young men from all over Italy who in turn wandered about preaching the Gospel to rich and poor alike. His message of non-materialism emphasized a love for God, a love of nature, and equality of humankind.

Desiring to share the good news with everyone, St. Francis ventured outside the walls of the church and took his message to the streets, preaching in the common language of the people, not in the traditional Latin of the church, so that all could understand. While some protested this new practice of St. Francis and the methods he employed, eventually the pope gave his blessing in 1223, and the Franciscan Order was included in the larger Catholic community.

Clare who at age 18 was captivated by the message of St. Francis. On the evening of Palm Sunday in 1212, she departed her father’s mansion without his permission, and headed to the valley below. Once there, friars escorted her to St. Francis who cut her hair, gave her a simple brown tunic, and commissioned her to a life of poverty. She spent the next forty years in the convent of San Damiano and was gradually joined by other women who heard the call to serve God. They became known as the Order of the Poor Clares.

One legendary story is told of Clare attempting to visit St. Francis when he was on his death bed. Since women were usually not permitted, when told by a friar that Clare had arrived to visit, St. Francis is said to have responded, “Then welcome Brother Clare.”

Much about St. Francis’ approach to ministry seems extraordinarily relevant for our time. To counter the materialistic impulses of our day, perhaps we need to re-emphasize the value of service, the beauty in nature, and the worth of each human being. Instead of waiting on people to “come to church,” perhaps we should also take the message to the streets, preaching through lifestyles and language a message of hope that the common people can understand. And perhaps we must find ways to affirm both the men and women that God calls to serve, recognizing that the spiritual passion and giftedness God places within a man or a woman supersedes the rules or traditions of the church or the culture.

In some ways, following the path of St. Francis in our time could be considered as radical as it was almost 800 years ago. But it is a path worth following to revitalize the church and advance the Good News.

 

 

Bob Morrison: 52 Years of Making Music and Doing Ministry

After 52 years of serving God through the local church, the final 32 of those at First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Bob Morrison, one of most respected and influential Ministers of Music in Baptist life, is retiring in July 2019.

To put his tenure in perspective, one study indicates that the average pastor tenure is 3.6 years and the average associate pastor tenure is 2.9 years. I suspect that the average Minister of Music tenure is slightly longer but not by much. When compared to almost any benchmark, Morrison’s tenure and effectiveness are remarkable.

Because both Morrison and I are from the same region of Alabama, I was familiar with his name and reputation, but didn’t have the opportunity to meet him until I moved to Florida. Little did I know that in 2005 I would be called to serve as the senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Pensacola and would have the privilege of serving alongside Bob for 12 years. In my 41 years of ministry, Bob would become the Minister of Music I served with for the longest period of time, and likewise, I would become the pastor Bob served with for the longest time frame during the course of his ministry.

Through the years I have been blessed to serve with many great staff members. However, Bob Morrison is one of the hardest working ministers I have ever encountered. In the words of Robert Frost, Bob’s vocation is his avocation.

Nix Daniel, a long-time church member, was chair of the Personnel Committee that recommended Morrison as Minister of Music at First Baptist Pensacola in 1987. Daniel remembers the call process clearly. “While Bob was relatively young, he had many years of experience in smaller churches and had developed a reputation as a very good minister of music with the potential to be a great one. We could look at what Bob had done but I truly felt that God led us to call him. He caused us to see some good reasons but ultimately we trusted what we felt was His guidance.”

As Morrison prepares for retirement, I asked Daniel why Morrison has enjoyed both effectiveness and longevity at First Baptist. Daniel summarized, “My father once told me that you will find people in life who do well because they are extraordinarily talented and others who do well because they have an exceptional work ethic. The people who are truly great at what they do, however, combine those traits. They are extraordinarily talented and have an exceptional work ethic. Bob is extremely talented, has an unparalleled work ethic and a clear calling from God to ministry. That is why he has been a great minister of music for so many years in my opinion.”

After serving alongside Bob Morrison, I can easily affirm that he is a music minister that majors in ministry. Some ministers of music are siloed and are only interested in music. At First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Morrison inherited a great music program and helped to grow it into one of the most outstanding church music programs in the country. But as gifted as Bob is in bringing out the best in choir and orchestra members through music, he excels even more in his care for all in the greater church family.

Morrison’s renowned program at First Baptist is grounded in a graded choir program led by a capable team of volunteers. In addition to his conducting of the Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra, Bob provided hands-on leadership for the Chapel Choir (high school), Surrender (high school auditioned ensemble), and the Singing Seniors (senior adults).

During his 32 years in Pensacola, Bob’s choirs have toured around the country and internationally including multiple trips to sing at St. Mark’s Cathedral (Venice), St. Paul’s Cathedral (London), Notre Dame Cathedral (Paris), St. Michael’s Cathedral (Vienna), St. Giles Cathedral (Edinburgh), First Baptist Church of Rome, and St. Peter’s Basilica (Rome).

In the fall of 2018, Bob received an invitation to be the MidAmerica Productions’ Guest Conductor Series’ “featured musician of the week” at Carnegie Hall. To put this honor in perspective, among the renowned conductors who have led MidAmerica Production concerts are John Rutter, Sherill Milnes, Lukas Foss, and Helmuth Rilling. More than 700 conductors have conducted on MidAmerica’s series in New York, sharing the stage with 1100 solo artists from the world’s greatest opera companies and concert stages, and 3500 choral ensembles from the U.S. and abroad.

Even though the invitation to conduct at Carnegie is extended to the director specifically, Bob would only agree to accept the invitation if he could bring his own choir. Morrison contends that the credit for his invitation belongs to his choir members. “We would not have been noticed at all without the reputation they have generated,” he said.

In April of this year,186 members of the Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra (including alumni and friends) presented a “Carnegie in Pensacola Concert” as a local preview of their upcoming presentation in New York City. On the following weekend, Bob took 160 choir members and friends to historic Carnegie Hall where they presented “The Peaceable Kingdom” by Randall Thompson, an unforgettable experience that served as a pinnacle moment of Bob’s 52 years.

Bob’s demeanor and approach to ministry are appreciated by a diverse group of friends and colleagues. Those of us who served as Bob’s pastor have a firsthand knowledge of Bob’s influence. Bill Shiell, the president at Northern Seminary in Chicago, was elected as Morrison’s first Chapel Choir president when Morrison arrived in Pensacola and later served as Morrison’s music associate. Through the years, Shiell has looked to Morrison as a mentor and confirms that many of the core values that shaped his ministry as a pastor and now an administrator, he learned from Morrison. Shiell reminisces that, “When I served as an interim minister of music, I imitated his style and followed his lead. Even though God’s call didn’t lead me to music ministry, I’m still imitating Bob’s professionalism, vision, and organization. His professionalism and his public and private character have molded me into becoming who I am today.”

Randel Everett, executive director of the Wilberforce Initiative and a former pastor at First Baptist Church of Pensacola, says “Bob and Annette have both made a tremendous Kingdom impact on countless number of lives including mine and our family. It was an honor and privilege to be able to serve with both of them during our time at First Baptist Church. During my tenure I accompanied them on the trip to Sweden and Russia with the choir and orchestra, a trip that is still one of my fondest ministry experiences. I look forward to seeing how God will use Bob and Annette during this next chapter of their lives.”

The current pastor at First Baptist Pensacola, Dave Snyder, has only served alongside Morrison for one year, but he already has profound gratitude for Morrison’s commitment to God and the local church. Snyder says, “Bob Morrison has a genuine love for the church. He maintains a consistent flow of integrity, passion, structure, intentionality, and humility in his work. People around him feel important to the mission of the church through music. Bob is a team player and demonstrates remarkable flexibility in working with his pastor and the staff team.”

Music ministers around the country have been inspired by Bob’s work ethic and his creativity. Billy Orton, Minister of Music at the First Baptist Church in Huntsville, treasures his friendship with Bob Morrison. Orton says, “Blessed with talent, personality, wisdom, and patience, Bob Morrison also possesses that indispensable quality found in truly great people–the willingness to work very hard. Bob has succeeded in myriad ways in the challenging field of church music ministry because of all these significant attributes which God effectively mixed with the love for people so evident in his spirit. Bob’s gifts and heart have touched countless lives. I am grateful for his enduring friendship and support as a colleague in music ministry.”

Across his many years in ministry, Bob has become friends with many well-known composers including Joseph Martin, Heather Sorenson, Pepper Choplin, Mary McDonald, Benjamin Harland, and Bob Burroughs. Harlan says, “Bob Morrison sets the gold standard for music ministry. From the time I first met Bob, I have treasured his friendship, his shared experiences, his ministry insights, his counsel and encouragement, his dedication to excellence, and the warm, compassionate heart that sets apart those who are musicians only, to those who use music to love people in Jesus’ name. It is one of life’s great blessings to have Bob as a friend.”

When I asked Bob Burroughs why composers have such appreciation for Bob Morrison, Burroughs replied, “Bob Morrison is the consummate Church Musician. He has a gentle spirit, a love for his people, a witness for Jesus. Bob Morrison is one of my heroes!” Burroughs composed a musical piece as a tribute to Bob on the occasion of his retirement. Burroughs said, “I wanted my anthem to send him out with joy – hence the title: Go Out With Joy! (Isaiah 55:11-12).”

Most of Bob Morrison’s choirs have included a few exceptional musicians, but most of the members have had little or no music training. However, Bob has a gift for bringing out the best in others. Throughout his ministry he has insisted that when individuals bring their best gifts, especially their voices, as an offering to the Lord, the blending of those voices produce a sound that far exceeds the talent level of any one individual. That is when “choir happens.”

And we can expect that during his retirement years, Morrison will continue to seize every opportunity that comes his way to bring out the best in others and to advance the ministry of the local church, but this time as a faithful participant.

Well done, Bob Morrison! Well done!

You might also want to read “Faithful to God’s Call: An Interview with Bob Morrison” at http://www.barrysnotes.wordpress.com.

(Barry Howard is the retired Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Pensacola. He now serves as a leadership coach, congregational consultant, and columnist with the Center for Healthy Churches.)

Faithful to God’s Call: An Interview with Bob Morrison

(photo by Diane Allen)

After 52 years of serving the local church, the final 32 plus as Minister of Music at the First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Bob Morrison is retiring.  Bob, and his wife Annette (who has also served as his administrative assistant) are transitioning to the next chapter, which will likely be a more relaxed season of life involving grandchildren, travel, and continued involvement with their First Baptist Church family.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of interviewing Bob Morrison regarding his remarkable tenure and his thoughts about retirement. Here is what he had to say:

Barry: Let’s go back to the beginning. How and when did you confirm your Christian faith which has been so foundational to your life and ministry?

Bob: I was 9 years old, and it happened on a Thursday night decision service at Shocco Springs’ RA Camp. For a couple of years, I had been attending this summer week-long camp, and for a few years after my decision I continued to attend until I was too old. The climactic point in the week was always a Thursday night decision service. I remember the night I accepted Christ, I couldn’t wait to call my parents and share the good news with them. I was baptized at FBC, Lineville, Alabama, the next Sunday. 

Barry: When did you sense the call to music ministry?

Bob: I felt called to actual music ministry while I was serving as BSU Choir director at Jacksonville State University in 1970, but I had made the decision to go into music in some fashion as a 2nd grader in Lineville Elementary School in 1958. My music teacher had selected me to “conduct” the little rhythm band for our spring program, which consisted of me pointing to the appropriate rhythm instrument when it was their turn to play…so, yes, pretty much like I do to our church orchestra now! At any rate, that experience captured me forever, and from that day forward I knew I wanted to do music with my life; I never wavered from that decision.

When I entered JSU as a freshman, I was on track to be a band director, having served as drum major for our high school band my junior and senior years. Through the BSU Choir experience, though, I felt God redirecting me to be in church music. Again, a decision I’ve never second guessed…even though I know that being a band director would possibly have put me more on the cutting edge of evangelism.

While I definitely had a God-called experience back in 1970, answering the call has been a dynamic activity for me, wherein I need to recommit to that call periodically. One of my life verses has been Philippians 3:12b: We press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of us. Staying in the ministry throughout my whole life definitely has been predicated on the truth of this exercise…taking hold of that for which you were taken hold.

Barry: You also started in music ministry at a young age, even before finishing college or seminary. What are the some of the advantages and disadvantages of starting ministry at a younger age and working your way through school?

Bob: Always active in my churches’ choir programs wherever my family lived through my growing up years, I was asked to serve as the “minister of music” during Youth Sunday when I was 15 at the First Baptist Church of Saks (Anniston, AL); I loved it! I remember my minister of music at the time trying to convince me it wasn’t necessary to hold extra rehearsals leading up to Youth Sunday, something I guess we disagreed on.

At any rate, a year later when we lost our minister of music, the church asked if I would direct the choir during the interim, which I gladly accepted. During that time, we did a full program for Easter, a John Peterson cantata as I recall. It went well, and the church asked if I would take the position permanently. Though it was only part-time, the experience I gained leading the adult choir, instrumental ensemble, youth choir and children’s choirs at FBC, Saks, for the next four years was invaluable! So…the experience gained at such a young age affected my life’s work in a major way and became the foundation on which everything else would be built.

Another big advantage of starting young would have to be how it helped determine who I married. I was already doing what I would be doing the rest of my life, so any prospective wife would already know what she’d be getting in to. God perfectly put me with someone that was active in our choir at church, and in my band at school. Annette has been a co-laborer from day one, and in my mind, is just as called as I am.

Barry: I recall that you completed your seminary degree at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth. Many individuals bypass seminary altogether and go straight on to a church staff. How important is a seminary degree for a Minister of Music, and how have you benefited from your seminary training?

Bob: In my experience, seminary was a natural progression to preparing me to be a church musician. I can’t imagine doing this work without the knowledge I gained at seminary. There were some of my classmates who were only attending seminary because they felt it would afford them a bigger church ultimately, and who weren’t really buying in to what was being taught.

I was just the opposite. I hung on every word. There simply was not a subject I took that I didn’t grow from and enjoy, but some of my favorites were Music in Missions & Hymnology by T.W. Hunt, Choral Diction by Jack Coldiron, Practice of Church Music by Joe King, Philosophy of Church Music by Cecil Roper, and Conducting Techniques by Robert Burton. A couple of my non-music classes that I totally loved were Evangelism by Roy Fish, and Baptist History by John Baker.  Seminary showed me the BIG PICTURE and served to provide impetus throughout my ministry. 

Barry: I think you could have been an excellent professor, clinician, or composer. Those who know you are tremendously grateful that you chose to serve in the local church. What are some of the things you have enjoyed most about serving in context of the local church?

Bob: One of my favorite things about being a music minister in the local church is that I get to work with all ages, including children through senior adults. Fortunately, I’ve always had a healthy take on the aging process, and from the very start, some of my closest friends were senior adults. So, yes, this multi-generational landscape within the local church’s music ministry has been a highlight!

The local church music ministry has also been a wonderful place for me because of how diversified my interests are. That is to say, my interests are multi-faceted…music (obviously), choral, orchestral, traveling with music groups, sound systems, video systems, technology, etc. Where else could a person work and be able to delve into all these areas, and more! Whether it’s rehearsing a group to make beautiful music for worship experiences, touring with groups, soldering connections in your sound system, registering the colors in a camera, building cases for speakers to tour with, or…well, almost anything! Working in the local church has allowed me to do it all, and I’m so grateful.

Barry: Although your primary area of service has been Music and Worship, your responsibilities have covered other areas including pastoral care, technology, media, and others. How does serving in areas outside your major area inform and enhance your overall ministry and effectiveness?

Bob: I somewhat addressed this topic in the previous question, but just to add…doing those non-music parts of my job allows me to network and develop relationships with folks whom I may not get to know otherwise. It also helps me easily adopt the big picture of church work and keeps me from being totally tunnel-visioned (which could easily happen). Conversely, it allows the church folk to see me in a pastoral role, helping them to realize that I’m minister first, musician second.

Barry: You have worked with multiple choirs and music groups (Sanctuary Choir, Orchestra, Chapel Choir, Singing Seniors, etc). Do you have a favorite age group or music group?

Bob: You know, I don’t. I guess the best way to say it is, my “favorite group” is the one I happen to be working with at the time. It’s always been a goal of mine for the group I’m currently working with to think – based on how I’m acting toward them – that they must be my favorite…’cause they are (at the time)!

Barry: You have taken many choirs on tours around the U.S and around the globe? Is there one trip that stands out in your mind as groundbreaking, monumental, or most memorable? And do you have a favorite tour location?

Bob: Touring has indeed been one of the trademarks of our music ministries at every church. There are so many benefits and advantages that happen naturally because of touring; things like working hard together to prepare the music, living together for a couple of weeks which allows for deeper relationships, etc. And then the obvious: the opportunity to share the Good News of Christ with our listeners in some amazing places, and the sheer excitement of experiencing God’s creation and His people in far-away places. I simply cannot imagine doing music ministry without the tour experience!

As to a favorite tour, it’s impossible for me to say. They’ve all been my favorite on their year!

Barry: What is your favorite hymn or anthem, and why?

Bob: I have many of each, but I’d have to say “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” is one of my all-time favorite hymns, speaking of God’s constant care for us and interest in us. Also near the top for hymns would be “Here I Am, Lord,” a hymn that speaks to our total surrender to God in service.

As to an anthem, I often kiddingly remark to the choir that such and such song is my “new” favorite anthem…and that pretty much is right, for God keeps gifting composers to write new and wonderful choral and orchestral arrangements, providing for me a moving scale. So…my “new” favorite anthem for now is “More Than Conquerors,” relating how nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, and with His presence in our lives, we can overcome anything this world may challenge us with.

Barry: As someone who has served in the same church for 32 years, what do you see as the primary factors that contributed to your longevity?

Bob: What a great question! And how difficult it will be to adequately answer it. I’ve kiddingly responded to folks, as they’ve made comments regarding the accomplishment of being in the same church this long, “It’s not that hard, actually; you simply have to be someone no other church wants.”

Assuming one serves a church whose people can abide longevity from their staff member, though – which I definitely do – the greatest challenge of staying somewhere this long is simply to keep your own interest up…staying in the game for the long haul. Achieving that in my own case was made easier because our great church resources their music ministry extremely well, and the singing and playing participants themselves are willing to invest their own monies to be involved in some pretty exciting projects.

That means, in addition to leading regular Sunday worship times, we get to do some amazing activities. Things like bringing in big name Christian artists like Joseph Martin, Ken Medema, Steve Green, etc., to do a combined program with our choir and orchestra; like taking the adult choir and orchestra, and our older youth choir, on international tours every two years (each group goes once every four years, offset from one another by two years); like touring each summer with our older youth choir throughout the USA and Canada; like budgeting adequate dollars to support our annual DEO (Christmas) production; like investing in needed props to do the PENSACOLA EASTER PAGEANT; like purchasing instruments to be used in our orchestra program; and on and on I could go.

Knowing I’ve served a church like that gives you a bit of insight into the kind of people at FBCP. They’re the best folks anywhere and they stand ready to do just about anything you can put before them! If they even know about the word “can’t,” I’m not aware of it. It’s unnatural to “want to leave” folks like that! Even now as we’re on the cusp of retiring, I still can’t get excited about leaving this position.

I know it’s time, though, and once past the actual day of retiring, God will infuse me with excitement about what lies ahead. Things like time to spend with my grandkids, my parents, for traveling, and for making new and different kinds of contributions to Kingdom work.

And on a final note: To the person currently serving on a church staff, I would say stay as long as you can under God’s leadership. There are both advantages and benefits that you get to experience – and yes, that the church gets to experience – that simply are not available to short termers. I’m certainly glad I did!

Barry: What advice would you give to a young adult starting out on their journey in music ministry?

Bob: Go back, go back! (Just kidding.) I would encourage them in that, if they are definite in their sense of call to music ministry, then go for it. In my mind, there is nothing that will satisfy you more, or give you a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment, than doing church music. Second, I would advise them to place huge importance on choosing their life’s mate, for nothing can replace the synergy that will exist between you and a wife who also senses a call to music ministry. It’s a win-win (for your marriage and for the church you serve).

I would also encourage them to seek appropriate training. If I were advising a would-be minister of music today, I would encourage them to look seriously at some of our colleges with church music degrees, both on the undergraduate and graduate levels. Recent changes in some of our seminaries give me pause to confidently recommend them to a prospective church worship pastor, though I’m open to being proven wrong, for I’m still very indebted to my seminary experience at SWBTS.

Barry: As you prepare for the next chapter, what are some of the things you plan to do in retirement?

Bob: Top of my list, spend more time with my grandkids! Annette and I are fortunate in that we live in the same city as our grandchildren and oldest son and his wife. We even go to the same church! Same can be said about my parents; both my mom and dad attend FBCP, and I definitely plan to be more present in their daily lives. Our youngest son and his new wife live in Boston, where he is a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University in music; visiting them in their new place will be exciting! So…family takes on top priority!

I also want to further develop a little side interest of mine – which also benefited our choirs for the past 6 years here at FBCP – ChoirPrompt. You can find out more than you’d ever want to know about this at http://www.choirprompt.com.

Getting back to playing my horn is also a goal of mine. While directing groups is wonderful, by its very nature it prevents you from participating as an instrumentalist or singer. It will be fun to personally “make music” again, and not just be “directing music-makers.”

And finally, even though we’ve travelled extensively on our choir tours through the years, I think Annette and I will enjoy some travel. We both love to explore new places and things, and there’s a whole lot of the world we’ve never been to, so occasional travel will surely be in the picture. It’ll be different traveling without 100 of our closest friends and doing concerts, but I’m thinking it’ll be fun, nonetheless.

One of my greatest desires is to continue to be faithful to God’s calling on my life, even in retirement. I don’t know what that looks like, exactly, at this point, but that’s what I want to be. For my entire life I’ve encouraged folks to be responsive to God’s call to serve through music, and to be faithful in that service. Now that I’m here at my working life’s conclusion, may I prove just as faithful as those in my charge for all these years.

Thank you, Bob Morrison, for being faith to God’s call and for sharing your gift with so many for so long. We will miss your leadership, but your friendship and influence will continue to shape us and advance the kingdom for years to come.

(Barry Howard is the retired Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Pensacola. He currently serves as a leadership coach, congregational consultant, and columnist for the Center for Healthy Churches.)

Encouraging Those Who Are Called

While editing the recently published book, Call Stories, I had the privilege of reading dozens of unique testimonies of women and men God had called to pastoral ministry.

These stories prompted me to revisit my own call experience at the early age of 16. I am grateful and indebted to my church family and my pastor for the support, affirmation, and encouragement they provided for me. During those early days, as I navigated that divine nudge toward ministry, I was surrounded by an army of the faithful who helped me flesh out my calling.

I didn’t fully appreciate that early support until I encountered other young ministers who did not have the generous support system that had launched me into a positive direction in ministry.

Throughout my years as a pastor, I have tried to lead individuals in my congregations to offer that same kind of enthusiastic support to those who sensed God’s call to vocational ministry from within our church family.

While I believe that every follower of Jesus is called to serve with their best gifts, whatever their vocation, I also understand that the call to vocational ministry is more than a career choice. It is a mysterious summons to a unique lifestyle that requires devotion, transparency, and self-sacrifice.

What are some practical and healthy things churches can do to provide support and encouragement to those who hear and respond to God’s call to serve in vocational ministry?

1. Pray for them. I don’t say this tritely or mean this hyper-spiritually. What a blessing it was for me to have individuals from my home church continue to assure me of their prayers! Pray for a clear sense of direction, for their decisions regarding education and training, and for doors to open for them to serve.

2. Offer words of affirmation and support. After announcing a “call to ministry,” individuals who experience such a call may be overwhelmed with anxiety and perplexed with questions. Some even wrestle with self-doubt. A note of encouragement or a few spoken words of affirmation certainly can help boost a newly called minister in the right direction.

3. Create available opportunities for them to serve and “try on” their call to ministry. My pastor invited me to preach my first sermon two weeks following my call experience. Then, with the endorsement of my church family, he recommended me as a counselor at a Christian camp for the summer. Maybe your church can offer specific ministry assignments or an internship for those who are exploring ministry, or a residency program for those who are preparing for their first call. There is no substitute for “on the field” experience in ministry.

4. Provide scholarship assistance and encourage their education and training. This may mean providing support for those who follow a traditional route to ministerial training by completing a bachelor’s degree followed by a residential experience at a seminary or divinity school. Or, as more and more churches call staff members who are “in process” with their education, this may mean making a way for a minister to serve in the local church while completing his or her theological training in some combination of a virtual classroom, a seminary extension center, and a residential campus experience.

5. Give them a few tools for ministry. Shortly after I announced my call to ministry, individuals in my home congregation showered me with books. One couple gave me a Strong’s Concordance, one family gave me a Bible Atlas, and another individual gave me an extremely dated book entitled The Young Minister. Nowadays, it might be helpful to give a minister an Amazon gift card where they can purchase books in hard print or digital format. A Bible software package or theological journal subscription is another helpful resource. If your church provides a group software subscription for your staff, consider providing the login to your ministerial students.

6. Celebrate progressive steps on their ministerial journey. Not long after I announced my call to ministry, my church hosted a service celebrating my call to ministry by presenting to me a “Certificate of License and Affirmation” and a new Thompson Chain Reference Bible (one of the most popular and expensive editions in 1977). Later, when I was called to be pastor, my first church held a service of ordination. And all the churches I served celebrated and affirmed the completion of each stage of my theological training. Every celebration marked a progressive step in my ministerial journey.

7. Network with them throughout their ministry. This could include endorsing the ministers by recommending them to places of service, communicating with the ministers throughout their careers, and inviting them back home periodically to preach or teach. Not every experience in ministry is pleasant and not every venture bears obvious fruit. Sometimes conflict arises within congregations or ministers make costly mistakes. A proactive and redemptive “home church” may be called on to assist and support a minister called from within their church family if that minister happens to have a bad call experience. I know of home churches that have provided such ministers a temporary place to recover, refresh, and retool in order to prepare for their next chapter in ministry.

One of the reasons I was fairly well prepared and equipped to enter pastoral ministry is because I was surrounded by a community of encouragement both in my home church and beyond. One of the characteristics of a healthy church is that they nurture a culture of call, and then they support and encourage those who hear and respond to the call.

(Barry Howard serves as a Clergy Coach and Congregational Consultant with the Center for Healthy Churches. He currently resides in Pensacola, Florida. His writings also appear on his blog, Barrys Notes, and you can follow him on Twitter @BarrysNotes.)