Show Notes

Welcome to the Best Practices for Adventist Ministry podcast. While much of pastoral ministry may seem ordinary there is a mystical element that permeates every aspect. It all begins with the origin story of a pastor which we refer to as the ‘call to ministry’. In 2015 we featured the origin stories of a dozen pastors at the CALLED Pastors Convention in Austin. We’re going to share three of those stories today. But the thing is, that mystical quality, the call to ministry, never stops with the origin story. So today we won’t stop with the origin stories,  we’re going to get updates from those same pastors as we trace the mystical call to ministry.

Here’s the guests on this month’s show in order of appearance:

Act One: Richie Halversen

Richie Halversen stood at the crossroads between life and death one more time. 

“I got caught up in substance abuse and lived a very selfish lifestyle. At the bitter end I ended up in jails, institutions. That last time I was in the treatment center I came to a crossroads that I had been to many times before. Do I keep going to chase after that high that I knew did not exist anymore? I heard an audible voice from God that if you go out that door, you'll die, but if you give your heart to me right now I'll change your life and I want to use you. And that day I made my decision to give my heart to God.”

You can watch the short version of the interview here, or the full length interview here. 

Since we last talked with Richie, he's become senior pastor at Bowman Hills in Cleveland Tennessee. 

He also has begun to tell his story of recovery from addiction to wider circles. He published his story in the book The Darkness will not Overcome, published by Pacific Press.  

Richie also has some recommendations for pastors, family and friends, and anyone affected by addictions. He has found working with the resources of Celebrate Recovery helpful.  

Act Two: Harold Altamirano

Pastor Harold also shared with me the story of his call to ministry for the 2015 CALLED Convention. His call was sparked by a short intense conversation with a stranger: 

“I was recently baptized after struggling with alcohol for a number of years. I was struggling in my marriage, ended up in jail, and in that process, God called me into the church. One day being in church for about a year, this one lady waited for me outside. it was really weird, and I remember going out and saying 'Hi' to the pastor and I remember this lady I didn't know her, came at me, and she held me and she told me you are running from God like Moses, and she told me 'you need to be a pastor'.”

You can watch the short version of his interview here, or the full length interview here.

Since the last time we talked, Harold’s call to ministry has taken a radical turn. 

“My life

Welcome to the Best Practices for Adventist Ministry podcast. I’m Dave Gemmell. Tell me, is a call to ministry static, or can it change? After about four decades of ministry, I've come to believe that a call to ministry is fluid. Perhaps I can compare it to the river that flows behind my house. I can take a picture near my house, or I can move miles upstream and take another picture or move miles downstream and take more pictures and every picture will look different. And yet it’s the same river. That's kind of like what a call to ministry is. Even though it looks different in different times of our ministry, it’s the same calling. 

About six years ago for a feature for the CALLED convention, I interviewed pastors about their call to ministry; snapshots. We're going to play some of those today. But we're also going to move a half a dozen years downstream and take other pictures as we update those calls to ministry. 

Here’s the guests on this month’s show in order of appearance:

Act One: Jamie Pombo

I had the privilege of interviewing Jamie for the 2015 CALLED Pastors Convention where he shared the story of his call to ministry. When his life was at its lowest point, it was about to change.  

“My dad had a gun in his room. And the gun was empty, but I knew where the bullets were. And so, at that time I remember wanting to end my life because there was just no worth whatsoever. And I thought I was doing the world a favor if I could just cease to exist. And I remember putting the gun right to my right to my temple. And that that was the first time that I really heard a voice. It said don't do it. I love you.”

You can watch the short version of the interview here, or the full length interview here. 

It's been about a half a dozen years since I first had that interview with Jamie. A lot has happened in this world and in Jaime's life since then. I catch up with him on a zoom call while he is taking care of his four week old second born son. He shares how COVID have created some challenging times for all including himself as his father recently succumbed to the infection. Yet he remains resilient thanks to his faith in God, his family, and the help of professional therapy. 

“Its never fun to go through all of those things. But life is fun, and life is not so fun at times. Yet you still keep going forward.”

Jamie Pombo serves as an Associate Pastor at Port Charlotte Seventh-day Adventist Church. He is married to Michelle and together they are raising two sons. You can find out all about his ministry at the Port Charlotte website.

Act Two: Pranitha Fielder

Pastor Pranitha also shared the story of her call to ministry to me for the 2015 CALLED Convention. She revealed one of the biggest obstacles to her calling:

“I distinctly remember once someone called me on the phone who I hadn't seen since I was five years old, and they called me and they were angry and they said, what do you think you're doing? Who do you think you are that you think you can be a pastor? You know the next time I see you, I'm going to pull you in front of everyone and tell you about yourself. It's painful.”

You can watch the short version of her interview here, or 

Welcome to the Best Practices Adventist Ministry Podcast. I’m Dave Gemmell. 

What words come to mind when I say ‘church board?’   Some may say Waste of time. Church Fight! Never Ending. Nit picky. Other’s might say: uplifting, Unifying, Productive, Fun. How would you like to move your church board from the first group to the second? You’re in luck. Today’s title is 3 tips for Church Boards. I’ve gathered tips from experts and interspersed them with powerful tips that came when I asked Adventist Pastors in an online group to share.  and they really delivered.  

Here’s the guests on this month’s show in order of appearance:

Tip #1, Be Prepared

Andre Goncalves of Dallas First Church of Seventh-day Adventists believes that having the right people on the church board makes all the difference. It starts with the organizing committee and the nominating committee. 

Another person who is essential is someone who has the skills in keeping minutes. Why are minutes important? Karnik Doukmetizian, General Counsel for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists gives tips from a legal perspective for Church Boards on minutes, abiding the laws of the land, solid supporting documents, and secret ballots. These are short excepts from his presentation at the 2015 CALLED convention for pastors. 

South Atlantic pastor Everton Ennis, serving New Jerusalem Seventh-day Adventist Praise & Worship Center as well as Newnan first, shares his passion for relationships and preparation for church board. 

Lowell Cooper, former vice president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is considered in Adventist circles to be one of the greatest experts in conducting productive meetings. In this podcast he gives powerful tips on room preparation, agendas, and organizational polity. His interview comes courtesy of the Making Committees and Church Boards More Effectiveepisode of the Ministry in Motion weekly video series, hosted by Anthony Kent and Ivan Williams.  

A big part of preparation is getting out the agenda and supporting documents early enough for each board member to be prepared. David Salazar, Youth Ministries Director of Washington Conference, shares his powerful tips.  

Tip #2, Make Quality Decisions

Many board meetings grind on and on about trivial things. Does every tiny decision need to go through the board? David Hamstra, Pastor at Edmonton Central Adventist Church, gives some great tips on why and how a church board should delegate some of its decision making.  

Matthew Shallenberger, associate pastor...