A Word from Pastor Scott:
Sunday, April 7, 2019

“Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder
and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God;
and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;
1 Pet 5:1-2

It will be our joy to share together in a service of ordination, this morning, for our brother, Kyle Davis, as he begins his “official” service as one of the elders of Rockport Baptist Church. If you know anything about the usual Baptist tradition in these matters, you know that an “ordination” usually takes place in a “special service” on a Sunday afternoon or evening. Instead, we have chosen to make this a more central event in the life of our church by holding it as a part of our regular worship service today. Our reasons for doing so are as follows:

(1) We want this to be a time of celebration and instruction for the whole of our congregation rather than for the limited number who would be able to come back for a “special” service later in the day.

(2) We view this as a time for the whole congregation, both the leaders and the members of Rockport, to join together in confirming our brother’s call to the elder ministry. [Traditionally, one reason such ordinations were held in the afternoon was to make it possible for pastors and deacons from other congregations nearby to attend and help form an “ordination counsel” to question and confirm the candidate. Such counsels are rare today.]

(3) We believe this should be a worship service focused on Christ and his gifts and callings to the church, rather than a service focused on any particular man being ordained. Nevin, Kyle and I agree the focus needs to be on Christ alone! So Lord willing, that’s what we will do this morning as we join our brother in rejoicing in God’s calling and setting him aside to serve us here at Rockport Baptist Church!

Celebrating God’s faithfulness.

Scott Lee (Just one of your pastors)