PASTORING INDEPENDENTLY
By Ken Blue
I was born on the Bible belt in northern Arkansas. Our little town could not afford a church or pastor, so we had Sunday school and revival meetings in the one room school house. I managed to get through those early years without getting saved. Our little church belonged to the Southern Baptist Convention.
At age 17 I accepted Christ in a Baptist Church in Wenatchee, Washington. The church belonged to a fellowship called the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. I spent several years with them and was told that the Southern Baptist had gone liberal. I was instructed to avoid them.
After Bible College, I enjoyed sweet fellowship with many in the Bible Baptist Fellowship. However, some believed our church was not in the bride and made group fellowship impossible, and so I moved on.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]There is not a group of churches that will allow you to be independent and retain fellowship with you![/perfectpullquote]
I then searched for those who were truly independent. But I found to my dismay, that such hopes were impossible. I discovered that there is not a group of churches that will allow you to be independently free and retain fellowship with you. The leaders will smear you and their followers will fear you and you will be independently alone.
Although there are many good men in all the above groups; my advice to young pastors is to stay home. Stay out of groups, conventions, and fellowships. Invite into your pulpit those who will help your church. Don’t have men in just because they are “your crowd.” Preach where you are invited, but don’t become ensnared or enamored. There is a subtle addiction that develops here. You will be wined and dined, courted and promoted, so you will do the same for them. If being your own man, pastoring your own church and choosing your own friends forces you out of their nest, so be it. Freedom and independence are great!
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.