I did not grow up in a North Carolina Baptist church. But when I came to faith in Christ in my late teens, the Lord led me to one. That church was led by a faithful pastor who shepherded the congregation with Christ-like character and weekly exposition of God’s Word.
It was in this church and under this pastor’s care that I learned how to be a follower of Christ, how to read my Bible well, how to pray and how to be passionate about fulfilling the Great Commission.
That pastor would take me under his wing when he observed a desire in my heart to not only know God’s Word, but to make it known. He saw in me what I could not see at the time: that God was entrusting to me the spiritual gifts of teaching, preaching and leadership. He discipled me, taught me how to preach and teach the Word and how to prayerfully and carefully shepherd God’s flock.
He would later take me to the campus of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to show me the only four-year confessionally Baptist college in North Carolina, The College at Southeastern. He introduced me to faculty and toured the campus with me – where I would eventually spend nearly 12 years becoming a three-time graduate. All of which, of course, were made possible by faithful N.C. Baptists who give generously to the Cooperative Program.
It was that N.C. Baptist church led by that N.C. Baptist pastor that laid their hands on my wife and me more than 10 years ago and sent us out on mission for Christ.
Since then, I have had the privilege of pastoring in N.C. Baptist churches for nearly a decade. During my time as both a member and pastor, I have become indebted to the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSC). From laboring side-by-side with local pastors and churches in our association, to cooperation with like-minded Baptists at the state level, to receiving guidance from BSC staff in Cary, N.C. Baptists have given me a gift I can never repay: the gift of partnership in the gospel that has yielded eternal fruit in and through me and the churches I’ve been blessed to pastor.
Over the last decade, my gratitude and respect for N.C. Baptist pastors have only grown. In my mind, these are men of whom the world is not worthy, men who labor in teaching and preaching largely in obscurity and anonymity, who seek the approval of God and not man. These are men who love Christ, their local church and their communities.
These are men who labor to get the gospel not only to their neighbors but also the nations, and equip their congregations to do the same. They lead their churches to give faithfully to vital mission efforts like the N.C. Missions offering, the Annie and Lottie offerings and more. Indeed, these are men who are worthy of our gratitude and respect.
But these are also men who, from time to time, find themselves weary in the work of pastoral ministry. They are our heroes who minister to masses, but they are at the same time humans who need to be ministered to as well. I know this because it is my own story as a pastor. But part of that story is that the care, encouragement and challenge my soul needs have always been given to me at the North Carolina Pastors’ Conference (NCPC). For years, at no cost to attendees, we have had the privilege to sit under the preached Word, join with brother pastors to pray, lift our voices together in song and enjoy rich fellowship in the Lord.
In my mind, these are men of whom the world is not worthy, men who labor in teaching and preaching largely in obscurity and anonymity, who seek the approval of God and not man.
As I’ve attended and volunteered at the NCPC year after year, I never dreamed that I would one day be nominated to lead it. Yet, in the kindness of God, He has allowed this wonderful opportunity to come about. It is my humble honor and privilege to be nominated by my brother, Pastor Quintell Hill, for president of the 2023 NCPC.
If it is the Lord’s will that I serve in this capacity, I give you my promise now that I will plan and lead a conference that aims to encourage, equip and challenge our pastors to be the Great Commission-focused shepherds God has called us to be. If elected, my goal will be to lead a conference for all our N.C. pastors that focuses not on issues that divide us, but on the biblical gospel that unites us and the pastoral calling that has been entrusted to us – all through the preaching of the Word, united prayer, worship through song and Spirit-filled fellowship.
When I think back to when I came to faith in Christ as a teenager, I remember that I didn’t know what a Baptist church was. But praise God, the Lord quickly led me to become part of one. As a teenager, I found then what I continue to discover today about N.C. Baptist churches: we are a movement of churches on mission together, cooperating in loving Christ, proclaiming the inspired, inerrant, infallible and all-sufficient scriptures, making disciples among our neighbors and the nations, holding fast to our theologically-conservative doctrine and embracing our Baptist distinctives.
For our N.C. Baptist churches, I am eternally grateful and forever indebted. While my debt to the BSC is beyond repayment, my desire is to serve her pastors well through the 2023 NCPC. By God’s grace, if elected, it would be one of my greatest joys to do so.
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Jordon Willard is pastor of First Baptist Church in Weddington and serves on the board of directors for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Willard will be nominated for president of the 2023 N.C. Baptist Pastors’ Conference.)
