As to being a part of the Barnabas Project, I have found it to be a personal blessing to get to talk to the men of God who serve our churches. Most of the guys on my list are bi-vocational. They are trying to work a secular job, raise a family and see to the spiritual needs of their respective congregations. Most of the phone calls they get are not positive. It is usually about someone who has died, is sick, in the hospital or upset and leaving the church. Rarely do they get phone calls that are encouraging.

I get to be the one who calls and says, "Thank You. How can I pray for you? How can I help you?” Most of the answers are the same, there’s not enough time, not enough volunteers, leadership training that needs to be done or just being able to balance all the responsibilities that go along with bi-vocational ministry. However, just to hear an encouraging word and a sympathetic voice means a lot to these men. Over and over they tell me, "I needed this today.” or "Thanks for the encouragement.” How wonderful to be able to tell a person who is giving his life to family, community, job and church that they are doing a good job and are appreciated.

Seriously, my life has been impacted by getting to be an encourager. Each time I pray with a pastor my own life is strengthened, my circle of friends becomes larger (Prayer of Jabez) and I am encouraged myself.

I am thankful to be part of this ministry. I am a pastor and I have a heart for other pastors. Beyond this, I am inspired by the faithful people who have served many years in ministry, some under adverse and challenging settings. In spite of these challenges, the pastors keep on serving! They serve in out-of-the-way places that won’t make headlines in the daily papers. 

I’m also struck by the fact that each of these ministers have expressed a passion to see more people come to know Christ. I’ve noticed that most of these servants aren’t asking for help from the denomination like I had anticipated they would. What they seem to desire is that someone give value to them as people and connect with them person-to- person. It seems this type of effort in being personal and personally interested in local leaders touches them where they live. 

It is interesting to learn some of the more personal stories like the brother who attends county fairs to share the gospel from a booth. Another pastor told of going to Africa and being privileged to share the gospel with hundreds in an evangelistic crusade. A lot goes on in the lives of these pastors as they seek to share Christ with their world. 

Overall, I’ve been enriched by these connections. After our conversations, sometimes I am saddened by the sadness in their lives as they minister in challenging places. Always our conversations leave me feeling gratitude that I get to serve alongside these folks.

In many ways this assignment has forced me to be intentional in an area where I should have been anyway. As a pastor I need other pastors around me who face the same challenges while sharing wisdom, strategies and concern. Creating many new relationships and strengthening some old ones has proven to be very rewarding. I believe the Kingdom is benefited when men of God come together for the worthwhile cause of mutual encouragement, inspiration, and improvement. Connecting with all these pastors and building these relationships will no doubt pay dividends well into the future for all involved. I believe great opportunities and potential lies within the networks that are forming as a result of the Barnabas project!

What an honor to be asked to serve on the Barnabas team!

Part of the assignment is to be an encourager to other pastors and as a pastor I know the ups and downs of a pastor’s life. Yet, as I have talked with many of these men of God, I am the one being encouraged. They serve in cities, towns and rural communities but mostly in small to medium size churches. They share a common love for God and for their people. Even when life is hard, and so many are working a second or third job, they just want to see people grow in their faith and people come to know Christ. 

What a privilege to visit with pastors who have been preaching for their entire adult lives yet they are still looking forward to helping others through their ministry even when most would be thinking about retiring.

When the Barnabas Project began, Pastor Pete White was my field representative. I thought then that this ministry would be so helpful to all of us General Baptist pastors who faithfully labor in our churches day after day without much fanfare or pastoral care. It was comforting to know that Pete's help was always just a phone call away. Only God could know that in less than a year our roles would be reversed, and suddenly, I would become Pete's Barnabas. Seemingly, out of the blue, a serious heart attack that Pete suffered changed the course and focus of Pete's life and ministry. 

At the time of this writing, Pete has had to step away from the Barnabas Project so he can give his energies to his recovery and to the continuing needs of his own family and his congregation. Pete's story is just another reminder that we pastors are certainly not insulated from the same physical, emotional, and spiritual issues that plaque the congregants to whom we minister every day. Pastors, too, need encouragement, guidance, and prayer. That is what I need, and that is what I am, with God's help, now privileged to offer Pete and the other pastors under my care. I will always be just a phone call away.