Tag Archives: Baptist

I Don’t Get Called “The Young Pastor” Anymore

Posted on August 21, 2025 | 3 comments

This Sunday will be my 30th anniversary as pastor of FBC O’Fallon, IL. I was considered so young then. Funny how quickly things change. But I’ve learned some great lessons by serving this long at my church. Here are a few of them.
You can trust God with your future. Following God’s path is best. Romans 12:2 tells us that God’s will is “good, pleasing and perfect” and I know that to be true from experience. I’m so glad I trusted God with my future as a young man. As a not so young man, I see that God has always been trustworthy.
Relationships are a great part of the journey. Paul mentions his friends and co-workers with such warmth in his letters. I’ve walked with people through their joys and their sorrows over the past decades. These connections with people are what I remember and appreciate. I love that God has allowed imperfect me and imperfect others to connect on our pilgrimage to follow the perfect Savior.
Change is part of life and ministry. Many things have changed over the years, and that is inevitable and okay. While change can be hard, stagnation can be toxic. I’m so thankful that God is always changing our perspectives and styles. And I’m glad leisure suits are a thing of the past.
The greatest things never change. The gospel is still the same. Prioritizing it needs to always be the mission of the church. Loving God and loving others still matters most. Serving is still more important than being served. The truth of God’s word is still the message that needs to be preached.
No, I don’t get called “The Young Pastor” anymore. But I do still get the great privilege of being called “Pastor”. I’m looking forward to all God wants to do in me, with me and through me in the years ahead. And I’m so thankful for the past 30 years!

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Let’s Get Connected

Posted on January 8, 2025 | Leave a comment

(I am the President of the Illinois Baptist State Association and I wrote the following for the Illinois Baptist newsletter which will come out soon. But perhaps this need for connection applies to a wider audience as well.)

   Let’s Get Connected

   Do you remember playing with Legos as a child? They snap together to make all kinds of wonderful things. They are made for connections!

   Christians are made for connections as well. We work best when we work together. All kinds of wonderful things happen when we connect.

   I can’t help but notice that Christians and churches seem less connected than ever at a time when we need connections more than ever. Never have we needed each other more than in this age of moral and spiritual confusion. At the same time pastors, leaders and churches appear to be more isolated. We are made for connections.

   Fellow members of IBSA and the SBC, here are three ways we can connect better in 2025.

  1. Let’s connect missionally. One of our deepest connections stems from the mission we share. We are about the business of glorifying God and making the gospel known to the ends of the earth. We are about making disciples of all nations. We do this mission best when we do this mission together.

    Do we have a method for connecting missionally? Yes! The Cooperative Program is a means by which we impact our state convention locally and the work God has given us nationally and internationally. 2025 happens to be the 100-year anniversary of this incredible strategy of every church working together in fulfilling the Great Commission. Let’s connect by supporting the work God has for us by generous support of the Cooperative Program.

    2. Let’s connect theologically. One of our firmest connections stems from the beliefs we share. What we believe about God’s word and God’s work bonds us together as Southern Baptists and Illinois Baptists. While we appreciate all others who follow Jesus, we are Baptists by conviction. We love the word of God and want to follow it closely. We share common beliefs.

    Do we have a guideline for connecting theologically? Yes! The Baptist Faith and Message is an expression of our common beliefs. 2025 happens to be the 100-year anniversary of the 1925 BF&M and the 25-year anniversary of the BF&M 2000. Let’s connect by standing firm on our common beliefs.

    3. Let’s connect relationally. One of our happiest connections stems from the relationships we enjoy. We benefit from the encouragement that comes from knowing each other and growing in our faith together. Christians need other Christians, pastors need other pastors and churches need other churches. We sharpen each other like iron sharpens iron.

    Do we have a method for connecting relationally? Yes! Our local churches, local associations, state conventions and national conventions give us opportunities to meet, pray and learn together. Our active participation allows us to get to know each other and to gain the mutual benefit that comes with that relationship. Let’s connect by gathering in all these ways.

       As Legos are made to connect, we are made to connect. We are stronger, better and more effective together. So let’s get connected!

    Doug Munton

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    Learning from the Past

    Posted on January 30, 2017 | Leave a comment

    Our church just recognized our sesquicentennial. That is a dandy of a word that means we were formed 150 years ago. By the standards of Europe it isn’t so much, but Illinois isn’t Europe. So, a sesquicentennial (that really is a dandy of a word!) is not as common here.

    150 years ago, First Baptist Church of O’Fallon, IL was formed at what was then just a small railroad stop. Over the years we have had some ups and downs. The church nearly closed in 1973. But for the last 40 plus years the church has grown steadily and has become a rather large congregation.

    We aren’t perfect as we are made up of people. We have had imperfect leaders as they, too, have been people. But God has had his hand on this congregation and has blessed the church in ways that are difficult to explain apart from God.

    Since I’ve been more immersed in our history than usual, I want to reflect on some lessons we have learned Continue reading →

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    Transformational Preaching

    Posted on November 16, 2016 | 2 comments

    Preaching is, for me, like swimming in the ocean. It is an awesome experience if you don’t die!

    Nothing is more exciting and nothing is more intimidating. Preaching both charges me up and wears me down. It invigorates and it frustrates. It brings me the agony of labor and the joy of birth. It keeps me up at night and gets me up in the morning. Preaching is big and I know it.

    If you are involved in preaching you know something of the dilemma we face. We are tasked with bringing God’s word to man. We are to speak sacred things to sinful listeners. This great responsibility can be a bit overwhelming. But here is what makes it even bigger. We need to preach for transformation.

    Nothing is worse than boring people with the greatest news known to mankind. How terrible to think that I can make the gospel sound like average news rather than good news. How Continue reading →

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    The Value of State Conventions

    Posted on August 18, 2016 | 2 comments

    The Southern Baptist Convention is organized through state conventions. (Though some of the “state” conventions combine multiple states.) I suggest to you that these state conventions play a helpful, but underappreciated role in the work of our faith and denomination.
    I’ve heard people predict or even advocate the demise of state conventions for years now. Are they necessary? Do they add a level of redundancy? That sort of thing. While I always appreciate efforts to make our work more effective and efficient, there are some benefits to the work of our state conventions that ought to be considered. Here are just a few.
    1. They keep us locally focused. I appreciate a big picture approach to SBC life. But that big picture is made up of many smaller portraits. State conventions have the pulse of churches in their region that national entities can’t. No one knows more about the needs of my state better than my own state convention staff. The very fact that they live and worship here allows them to understand our needs in church planting and revitalization and discipleship in a way that is difficult for others. Continue reading →

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    Posted in sbc, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

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    Those who don’t attend the Southern Baptist Convention

    Posted on June 16, 2016 | 10 comments

    I just got back from attending the Southern Baptist Convention. It was an unusual and interesting and exciting meeting.
    My wife served as the president of the Ministers Wives Conference with about 1,200 ladies attending the luncheon. It was awesome but she is worn out. (Shout out to all who helped her- we love you!)
    I was elected the 1st Vice President of the SBC. Don’t you have some suspicions about an organization that would do that?
    But I noticed some people who weren’t there. In fact, several Continue reading →

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    Posted in missionaries, missions, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

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    Encouraging Missions

    Posted on February 11, 2016 | 1 comment

    I want to encourage the members and churches of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) to be involved in missions. Not only do I encourage cooperative missions and support of the Cooperative Program (see my last post), I encourage every church and every member to be directly involved in missions. Here are two ways to do that.

    1. Get involved by encouraging our International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries. Never have they needed encouragement as they do now. With hundreds of our most experienced missionaries leaving the field, those who remain need Continue reading →

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    Posted in baptist, International Mission Board, missions, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

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    Encouraging the Southern Baptist Convention, part 1

    Posted on February 4, 2016 | 5 comments

    A series of seven blogs on the Southern Baptist Convention? I’m not sure many will read one and I’m doing seven? Well, hope springs eternal in the blogger’s heart. These are seven areas or people that I think need some special attention and encouragement in the years ahead- seven areas that I want to encourage especially.

    #1.  I want to encourage Cooperative Mission and support for the Cooperative Program.

    I love missions of all sort. I’m not against societal missions in any way. But I do think our denomination’s method of cooperative missions with the International Mission Board has a special brilliance. Missionary Continue reading →

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    Posted in baptist, cooperative program, encouragement, International Mission Board, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

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    Whither the Cooperative Program?

    Posted on October 20, 2015 | Leave a comment

    Whither? At least I didn’t say “ye olde Cooperative Program”. But sometimes it feels as though the Cooperative Program, the primary means by which Southern Baptists have funded their missionary and educational responsibilities for decades, has been relegated to an unnecessary relic of the past. Is that a good thing?
    The percentage given by the average SBC church to the Cooperative Program (CP) has dropped over the years to just over 5%. Is that a good thing?
    Some churches have, instead, adopted a more societal approach to missions. They tend to do direct mission work (or support those who do) instead of the more cooperative work of the CP.
    There are several reasons given for this. “There Continue reading →

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    Posted in baptist, cooperative program, missions, southern baptist convention, southern baptist convention, Uncategorized

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    What Pastors Need

    Posted on September 21, 2015 | 2 comments

    The world of pastors and other vocational ministers is a different world. It can be wonderful, fulfilling, frustrating and discouraging all in the same day. It is fantastic because we get to work with people and it can be challenging because… well, because we get to work with people.
    The majority of ministers do it because they believe God has called them to this important task. They want to make a difference in this world and in eternity. They care about people and love the message of the gospel. Their motivation, if they are what they need to be, is to honor the Lord, teach His word and help others to join them in following Jesus.
    But, like all people, they have needs. Let me mention four things pastors need from their churches.
    1. They need Continue reading →

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    Posted in encouragement, minister, pastor, Uncategorized

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