HAZARD, Ky. — Jamie Reynolds, associational mission strategist for the Three Forks Baptist Association since 2014, is stepping into a new role. Next year, he will become the new executive director of the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network (BSCLN).

In that role, he will serve and support the SBC’s 22,000 bivocational pastors.   

Reynolds announced the move Monday (Oct. 20) and said he would continue to serve the association through the end of the year. The role he will move to has been open for 18 months.

The BSCLN was formed nearly 30 years ago and “partners with the North American Mission Board, state conventions and local associations to encourage, resource and strengthen bivocational pastors throughout the Southern Baptist Convention,” Reynolds said.

“I did not seek this position, but the Lord has made it unmistakably clear to Rachael and me — and to the BSCLN board — that this is His calling ‘…for such a time as this.’”  

Reynolds’ task will be to lead, refocus and promote the BSCLN ministry to serve as a strong voice of encouragement, advocacy and support for bivocational pastors.

“The network is one of the best-kept secrets in the Southern Baptist Convention. We want to make it accessible to bivocational pastors, and the only way we can do that is if they know about it.”

In addition to his associational work, Reynolds served four years on the Kentucky Baptist Convention (KBC) Mission Board, which included being chairman of the Missions Mobilization Committee. He is a trustee of Clear Creek Baptist Bible College and is on the KBC Committee on Nominations.

Since 2008, he has conducted pastor trainings in eastern Kentucky. Through that ministry he has helped prepare approximately 130 men in expository preaching. “Many have gone on to be pastors or regularly do pulpit supply in our area,” he said.

Reynolds said he will begin his new role by talking with current and past board members to determine what has worked well in the past, what is working well now and how the network “can hone in on the needs of 47% of Southern Baptist Convention pastors” who serve in a bivocational role.

“We want to focus on the needs of those pastors. The resources of the network will also be available to associational leaders, state convention leaders, small church leaders and lay leadership.”

Reynolds said the work will include increasing the number of online resources for the network.

William Dooley, interim pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Rockcastle County, is chairman of the BSCLN board.

“We approached several men in a number of states, but there was always a good reason why they couldn’t take this position,” Dooley said. “I am convinced none were available because the Lord had Jamie for us. I am especially excited about him leading the network.”

The network serves all 50 states and has board members from six states. “The network is like a lot of churches in that we have to find a way to honor our past without worshipping our past and move forward to the future,” Dooley added.

“It does excite me to think that while we are nationwide and have board members from multiple states, two board members, including our chair and now our executive director, are from Kentucky. My hope is that Kentucky Baptists can play a leading role in supporting bivocational pastors nationwide.”

The BSCLN board has accepted an offer from Clear Creek Baptist Bible College in Pineville to provide office space.

“That’s a huge thing for me because most of their graduates are going to be bivocational ministers, and Clear Creek has a bivocational program,” Reynolds said. “I’m so glad they chose to do that.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — This article originally appeared in Kentucky Today.)