Blog Unity in Diversity

By Barry Simpson

I’ve been serving at the mission for a little over 14 months. The learning curve has been, and still is, rather steep. My wife Jena and I are still adjusting to the change in the rhythm of our lives. At the risk of sounding self-serving, I don’t think the typical pastor or layman realizes how much some of our denominational leadership is away from their spouses, how difficult traveling can be, or the extent of the sacrifice of our spouses. I know I didn’t.

My position as director of development requires that I travel to represent the Mission at local and state association meetings across the country. For someone who has spent his entire ministry at one church and in one district association in Tennessee, this experience has been quite revealing. I have seen district moderators who did a magnificent job at the tender age of 87 and I’ve watched as the young wet-behind-the-ears new guy struggles to moderate his first association meeting. I’ve attended district meetings that included four full-length messages, and others that only had one message or Scripture reading followed by a brief devotion. In some associations the moderator serves for an entire year, in others the moderator is chosen the day of the meeting. At times, those scheduled to preach were chosen at the previous meeting; while other associations appoint or elect a pulpit committee who, during the song service, meet to select the preacher(s) for the meeting. In one instance, I was chosen to preach without any advance notice. That was a new experience for me. I was reminded of the old adage concerning those in the gospel ministry, “Be ready to preach, pray, or die.” I preached!

I’ve heard music of all styles: organ-accompanied hymns, bluegrass gospel, contemporary, and Stamps-Baxter, or some combination of the above. You name the style and there is probably a Free Will Baptist church singing it. Whatever else we are as Free Will Baptists—we are diverse. We are diverse when it comes to worship styles, preaching styles, and governmental structures.

Amidst the varying styles of worship, I discovered I liked some more than others. Among them all, however, I discovered a genuine love for God and His Son. I rejoice that there isn’t just one way in which the Savior can be worshiped. The God who created us expects us to express the uniqueness of our individuality in our genuine expressions of heart-felt worship towards Him.