As we approach Spiritual Leadership Conference, I’ve asked a few of the conference speakers to participate in brief interviews regarding what is involved in launching out by faith. I believe you’ll find their perspectives both helpful and faith-building.

This interview is with Pastor Andrew Reed. Pastor Reed has served as the senior pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Cortez, Colorado, for the past six years. Brother Reed and his wife Angela are both graduates of West Coast Baptist College. I had the privilege of preaching his ordination last summer.

What is an area in the past five years in which you’ve launched out by faith, and how has God blessed?

About five years ago, our church was in a tough spot. I was a young pastor, and there were some difficulties I had inherited with the church. Particularly, some people were divided and resisting our leadership and vision.

My wife and I were discouraged. Sometimes we wondered if we could even help the people. We regularly considered giving up on the church, thinking they needed an older and more experienced pastor. Thankfully, instead of quitting, we decided to trust God, love the people, and preach the Word.

For us, launching out by faith was a commitment to stay in the deep water where God had called us. When we were uncertain about our future, we stayed, and we are so glad we did! Today the spirit of the church is better than it has ever been. Hardly a week goes by without someone being saved, baptized, or joining the church. (more…)

There are many ways to use your life, but there are only a few ways to invest it.

One of the greatest joys of my life is training young men and women in the ministry through West Coast Baptist College.

Today we had the privilege of graduating almost two hundred new laborers for the harvest. Within ninety days, graduates of the 2013 class will be serving the Lord in twenty-five different states and thirteen foreign countries.

It has been a joy to invest in the lives of these students, making a joint investment in what parents, home pastors, teachers, and others have already poured into their lives.

Is training people in the ministry difficult? Yes. Is it time consuming? Yes. Are there disappointments? Yes.

But is it rewarding? A thousand times, yes! (more…)

Ministry—even good ministry—can be built on a shaky foundation. When Jesus gave the word picture of a house built on the sand or on a rock, He wasn’t only speaking to the Pharisees. He was speaking to you and me.

Of course, His promise to those who build their lives on truth is also for you and me.

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.—Matthew 25:24–25

Years ago, I recognized that even godly leaders can have faulty ministry philosophy. In a painful and prayerful season, I outlined ten foundational pillars that I want to be the basic keystones of my life and ministry. (Incidentally, these are also the core values we have chosen for West Coast Baptist College.)

Occasionally, I review these pillars to remind myself of the aspects of ministry that are truly vital. (more…)

Since the doors of West Coast Baptist College opened in 1995, the Lord has assembled a godly, dedicated team of skilled staff and faculty who serve our students. I’m thrilled today to introduce a new addition to our college administration—my dear friend, Dr. Jim Schettler.

After spending nearly twenty-five years ministering to college-age young people, Dr. Shettler became senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Santa Maria, California, six years ago. God used him in a great way at this wonderful church. It has been a joy to labor with him on our side of the country over the past several years.

And now, we are excited to welcome Dr. Schettler and his wife Marilee to Lancaster. Dr. Schettler will serve as the Vice President of Student Affairs at West Coast Baptist College. I know that his heart for young adults and his fervor for soulwinning and local church ministry will be a blessing to our students. I’m looking forward to serving with the Schettlers on our team!

This summer I had the opportunity to visit the valleys of Piedmont, Italy—home to the Waldensians for centuries.

(If you cannot see this video in your RSS reader or email, you can watch it here.)

The plaque pictured above is mounted in a mountain hut which was used for a Bible college by the Waldensians. In this hut, barbas—the Waldensian pastors and teachers—would train young men for ministry.

I was humbled as I saw the rough benches around the hewn stone podium where the barba would teach from the center. The eager students were not only risking their lives in attending the school, but they were literally preparing themselves for martyrdom. When they graduated, they would be traveling evangelists preaching the Gospel message to an unfriendly audience. For many of them, it was not a question of if they would be martyred, but of how much they could accomplish before martyrdom came. (more…)