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The year 1989 signaled more for me than a decade of bad music (except for U2 I suppose).  That year I finished decades of formal education, completing all but my dissertation for the PhD.  Early in the year I sent my resume to every SBC college, university, and seminary.  The response I received was less than encouraging; out of over 50 letters sent, I got one personal reply. I have never sent a resume since then unless requested!

I sat one morning in a duplex with my wife and our young son, wondering what on earth I was doing. I had put Michelle through years of borderline poverty to receive all this education and had at the moment pretty much nothing to show for it except a part time job at a church (which was a good one) and about zero in our bank account.  But because Roy Fish believed in me, I had two opportunities finally emerge. First, Columbia Seminary in SC considered me for a teaching position. I made it to the point of being a finalist with one other man, an older man with much more experience (I was only 29 at the time after all).  So, they hired him.  I confess I had a few days when I wondered exactly what the future would hold, although I never doubted my call.

Then Mark Coppenger called.  Mark had become the new Executive Director for the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana, a convention that had been in some trouble, and a convention that had seen a ten year decline in baptisms. Mark had met me but he did not really know me. He took a chance based on the recommendation of Dr. Fish and a friend named Doug Munton with whom I served at the church mentioned above.

            I went from being another PhD candidate with no job to a young fellow responsible for evangelism and youth work (and soon stewardship) for an entire state convention.  I am grateful to this day for those who will take a chance on a young fellow who has at least some potential.  We saw God move, as baptisms increased every year, and our youth evangelism conference went from a few hundred to almost two thousand in three years.

            At this point you may be wondering what this has to do with new SBC president Johnny Hunt?  Segue to fall 1989.  I had just passed my orals, started work on my dissertation, and moved my family to Indianapolis.  My position at the convention actually came as a then-Home Mission Board missionary appointment. So, when they had a meeting and said to go, I went!  I came to Council Road Baptist Church in Oklahoma where Claude Thomas served as pastor. Claude’s son Eric now is pastor of FBC, Norfolk, where I have had the privilege of preaching in the past, and his son Heath just became my colleague at SEBTS.

            The conference at Council Road was on personal evangelism. Many great speakers were there.  But a young fellow in his mid 30s, not much older than me at the time, stood to preach. I had never heard of him.  From the moment he began to preach I sensed the presence of God in his life and the hand of God on his life. I was convicted, broken, and inspired all at once. The young preacher’s name was Johnny Hunt.  I had the privilege of sharing a lunch with him there. I doubt Johnny remembers, but I will never forget.

            From that time until now I have had several occasions to spend time with Johnny or to be blessed by his ministry at FBC Woodstock.  I can say that no single person has influenced my ministry any more than Pastor Johnny.  Here are a few examples:

Example one: Love for the gospel and those who love it–Indiana as a state was pretty pitiful in evangelism. Johnny sent his minister of evangelism and some handpicked laity to spend a week with me doing witness training in the state.  Watching laypeople take a week of vacation just so they could spend a week with strangers in Indiana to share jesus spoke volumes. That week we saw over thirty come to Christ through personal witnessing.  Many were encouraged.  Johnny also came to preach more than once in our state. I watched a man not looking for fame, but who loved the gospel and loved those who love the gospel.

Example Two: Love for young leaders–I discovered some young church planters in our state seemed never to learn that sharing Christ actually helped one to start a church. Several became quite discouraged.  About that time FBC Woodstock hosted an big evangelism conference. I took several of these church planters there. Pastor Johnny saw to it that they were housed at no cost in the homes of some of his most passionate lay soul winners.  I can tell you that at least one young man’s ministry was rescued because of that single event. In addition, Johnny Hunt to this day is the only preacher I have ever heard who recognized the impact of young people in great spiritual awakenings.  I recommended one of my finest students to be the youth pastor at Woodstock because I know of Johnny’s love for young people.

Example Three:  Love for Southeastern–Around 1991 I was in Atlanta and had the joy of going into Johnny’s neighborhood to share Christ with his neighbors. As we walked he asked me about his alma mater, Southeastern Seminary.  He asked me if I thought I would ever want to teach there.  I did not think I was ready at that time, but that he would consider me capable of doing that had a big impact.

Example Four: Love for Global Missions—a few years ago Johnny asked me to go to the Ukraine to speak at a national evangelism conference. Woodstock has invested a lot there.  Talking to Pastor Johnny about that, seeing the glimmer in his eye, demonstrated his love for the nations.

Every time I hear him preach, he makes me a little mad. Well not really. But when I see and hear (it takes both) Pastor Johnny open the Word, I am always convicted. I sit there and realize how little passion I have for God.  I think about how little I have done for the Kingdom. Few have caused me to want to live for Jesus as this man.

I could give many other examples, like the time he prayed over Josh at a youth camp, or when I chased his wife Janet with a big python on our campus (that was fun, and she still speaks to me). The greatest thing about Johnny Hunt I admire is that he is who he is.  What you see is what you get, whether you are sitting in his living room, walking through his neighborhood, or hearing him proclaim the Word. In a world filled with ministerial phonies, chronic complainers and leader-wannabes with the gravitas of a naked mole rat :-), I am grateful for a leader who loves young men of God who love the gospel and who loves the nations.  I will pray every day for our president. I hope you will as well.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 at 6:23 am and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.