Cover Story for July 21, 2005
In an unprecedented and historic act of generosity, on Sunday, June 12, the congregation of Weatherford Memorial Baptist Church voted to give its buildings located at 700 East Belt Boulevard to Saint Paul's Baptist Church, with the assistance of the Richmond Baptist Association and the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. Last week we featured the story of Weatherford. This week, meet St. Paul's!
By Jim White
From the moment I saw the flashing lights of the police cruisers parked in the street I knew this would not be a typical church experience. Police officers, assisted by dozens of church members, efficiently directed the flow of hundreds of cars exiting the parking lot while simultaneously hundreds of others arrived for the next service.
During the summer months, Sunday morning worship attendance at St. Paul's Baptist Church in Mechanicsville has dipped somewhat, to a mere 6,000 in three services-not counting 300 youth and 600 children who meet in other parts of the 2-and-a-half year old state-of-the-art facility.
Comparing the worship service I attended (one of three that morning) to what happens in a typical Virginia Baptist worship service is like comparing a bottle rocket to a shuttle launch. The 50-voice male chorale led the congregation in spirited-I could almost say aerobic-praises that lifted worshippers (myself included) out of their seats and onto their feet. Even the prayers included a high-energy reverence. By the time pastor Lance Watson stepped to the pulpit, the congregation was eager to hear the word-and hear it they did.
Church members agree that “the gifts that God gave our pastor” is the greatest single explanation for the explosive growth the church has experienced in the nearly 20 years Lance D. Watson has been their pastor. Watson, however, credits the church leadership with being visionary as their reason for growth.
“In 1995, our church leaders met in a retreat. I asked them, ‘What would you do for God if you knew you could not fail?' As they began to describe what they would attempt for Christ, their dreams embarrassed me because they were so much larger than mine. At the time, all I wanted to do was add some Sunday school rooms to our Church Hill [section of Richmond] facility,” Watson says.
Based on the vision cast by church members during that retreat, St. Paul's moved into a local high school that year, and in November of 2002 into its beautiful new facilities on 47 acres of land in northwest Richmond.
“It's not popular these days to talk about the priesthood of all believers because so much emphasis is placed on the authority of the pastor,” Watson continues. “But I believe in the individual church member.”
Watson doesn't just give lip service to this cherished biblical principle. It is clear that a major emphasis at St. Paul's is empowering the laity. This summer, pastor Watson is leading the church through a series of services aimed to help members see their abilities and gifts. “We want to help the people of God use their gifts to the glory of God.”
Empowerment continues into the economic realm. The church offers weekly classes designed to help members gain financial security and get out of debt. The church has established its own credit union and community-based community development corporation. Believing God has called the church to minister to the whole person, pastor Watson says, “Our ministries have been designed for people. We say we want to find a need and meet it; find a problem and solve it and find a hurt and heal it.”
Though his appreciation of church leaders is real, pastor Lance Watson is the dynamo behind this remarkable church. Rarely does an individual possess such an impressive combination of preaching, administrative and relational gifts. And he uses every gift he has. Under his leadership, the church has begun a capital fund-raising campaign called “That's Crazy!” based on the New Living Translation, “If it seems that we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.”
Within two years the church plans to pay off existing indebtedness and open a first-class gym with classrooms to house their Destiny Christian Academy which begins this fall.
No wonder the folks at Weatherford Memorial were impressed by what they saw at St. Paul's. Although many potential buyers approached them with attractive offers, Weatherford members believe Saint Paul's possesses the right vision, leadership and commitment to missions and ministry to do what they could not-reach thousands of people in South Richmond.
Watson is sensitive to the concerns of Weatherford people. “I've heard one of their concerns is that after we receive the property we will sell it and apply the money to our Creighton Road campus (which will become known as St. Paul's North). I understand that. If I were one of them, I would wonder that, too!”
To allay their fears, Watson has worked with Weatherford pastor, Rick Hurst, to develop a covenant in which St. Paul's promises to give their best effort to St. Paul's South (the Weatherford site) for no fewer than six years. If the ministry does not succeed in that length of time, Watson reasons, they will need to move on and try someplace else. But failure is not in Watson's vocabulary. Already he is envisioning ministry in the area which has a 30 percent Hispanic population. Among other things, he has enlisted a Spanish teacher in the St. Paul's congregation to teach him and anyone else in the church who is willing to learn the language.
Ministry to South Richmond is not a new concept for Watson or St. Paul's. In fact, two Sundays after moving to their new facility, pastor Watson told his parishioners, “I know we just got here, but I believe God wants us to do something in South Richmond.” When he learned that Weatherford had actually given its facilities to St. Paul's, Watson said, “I was overwhelmed and honored that they trusted us with their buildings. We share a kind of history and vision.”
The news has similarly impacted the people of St. Paul's. One deacon, a lawyer, wept when he heard the news, saying, “I feared when we moved into our new facilities that we would become another disconnected suburban congregation.”
The Weatherford property brings a new focus and renewed commitment to people who will not seek out the church. The church must seek them. As Watson says, “People are messy. The church is messy. An empty barn may be clean, but it doesn't produce anything. If you want the milk, you've got to deal with the cows and whatever mess goes along with it.”
“The future is ours,” he continues, “by design or default. The Weatherford campus helps us design the future.”
Jim White is editor and business manager of the Religious Herald.