“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, NKJV)
Our testimonies are all different. I enjoy sharing with others how the local church is an essential part of my testimony. My home church ministered to my family, often providing for us in our time of need. While I am sure that they were not as perfect as they appeared in my eyes, church leaders showed me Jesus through their teaching and the way that they lived their lives in front of me. The church assisted my mother in helping me and my four siblings to love, understand and navigate through the Scriptures. Special people in my home church prayed for me to know and follow God’s will, and they made me aware that they were praying for me. My church family encouraged me when God called me to follow Him as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. While I was struggling through a crisis of belief, God added His power to the words of people who had imitated Jesus before me for over two decades to help me say, “Here I am, Lord, send me.” When it came time to send my family out to serve Rosemont Baptist Church, our church family celebrated my ordination and the kingdom work that God would accomplish through the ministry He has called us to.
I was in a meeting recently and we discussed the need to call out those called by God to gospel ministry and missions. Today there are more churches needing pastors than men answering the call to gospel ministry. The need to plant more churches makes this need even more critical. Someone around the table shared the story of one church that has witnessed many men being sent out from their church to serve and lead sister churches. If I remember correctly, one lady in that church had the names of over 30 men written in her Bible who answered God’s call since she started praying that God would raise up the next generation of pastors. Jesus prayed before calling out His disciples. I am convinced that God used the prayers of my church family to disciple and then deploy me to serve other churches. I am also convinced that we need people praying in the pews for God to raise up preachers to proclaim from His pulpits. This is an area where God has convicted me to be more faithful. I need to personally imitate the prayer lives of those who prayed for me, because they were imitating the prayer life of Jesus. I want to encourage you to join me in praying that God will call people from our churches to ministry and missions.
As our calendars turn to May, churches are preparing to send their children and students to summer camps. SCBaptists and SCWMU have some of the best summer camps that exist. I remember going to Camp McCall in the late 1970s and early 1980s. One aspect of Camp McCall that still resonates clearly is the call that was extended each year to ministry and missions. Summer camp played a vital role in my personal discipleship and call to ministry. As a pastor, I have always given our SCBaptist and SCWMU camps priority for three reasons. Our camps are always among the most cost efficient. I have confidence in what is being taught to our students. I know there will be a clear call to missions and ministry. As a pastor, I love to receive cards each year from camps that make me aware of decisions our campers made while there, giving me a chance to celebrate and follow up. The summer camp experience is part of our church’s strategy for calling out the called.
Are you faithfully praying for God to call people to ministry and missions? Do you celebrate when someone responds to God’s call? I would like to personally invite you to join us at Taylors First Baptist Church Nov. 10–11 to celebrate God’s call on the lives of students and adults with your SCBaptist family.
— Chuck Sprouse, pastor of First Baptist Church of Ninety Six, is 2025 president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.