Ryan Reynolds
“All Scripture Is Breathed Out By God” 2 Timothy 3:16
Preaching the Bible is my passion. I constantly aim for a fresh, compelling perspective of Scripture while upholding the text's original meaning and context. During my time as senior pastor, God blessed our church, tripling attendance over my time there. As a Dean of Students in higher education, teaching Greek and managing a student body further honed my skills as a preacher and administrator in a ministerial context. My time as an associate pastor of a large church sharpened my experience as a servant-leader for pastoral ministry.
PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY
The pastor's call is to shepherd God’s people in Christ’s love with God’s Word. This goal should remain central—care for souls God places within the church family.
The senior pastor is a fellow member of Christ's body with Jesus alone as the Head. Although specific leadership responsibilities fall to this role, the pastor must remember that he is a servant-leader within the church family, collaborating with others in humility. The senior pastor should work hard to help others to grow, equipping God’s people in God’s Spirit through His Word and prayer.
As the church is equipped with God’s truth by His Spirit, it is called to reach the surrounding community. It should minister to the needy and shine the light of Christ in dark places. Outreach to the local community should flow out of the congregation’s love and commitment to Christ and to one another. Growing in Christ-centered unity and love prepares us for effective ministry to our community. Ministering effectively to the local community should deepen a love for the body of Christ. The pastor should promote and facilitate community outreach through teaching, vision-casting, and example.
The best preaching is expository. Expository preaching emphasizes what the Bible says in its original context, and applies this meaning to modern life. Preaching should be relevant, addressing cultural issues and struggles believers face without deviating from the text’s original meaning. All preaching should have God’s love in the Gospel front and center without minimizing sin or evil. It should be inspirational, encouraging, and convicting, put in simple language that everyone can understand.
Mid-week small groups, Bible studies, and prayer meetings are important aspects of pastoral ministry. These meetings foster a culture of learners, growing in the knowledge of God together. In these ways, the church and the pastor grow in the call to be disciples and to make disciples of Jesus.
THEOLOGY
My theology is evangelical, Christ-centered, gospel-centered, Reformed and historically rooted in the Old and New Testaments of the Protestant Bible. My expertise is in NT theology and exegesis, with a heavy emphasis on the original text (koine Greek).
I baptize professing believers by immersion in water as well as infants of professing believers. I believe Scripture outlines a plurality of elders to govern and humbly lead the church.
The ultimate destination for every Jesus-follower is the new heavens and earth where God will dwell with his people forever. Unbelievers are separated from God in eternal judgment.
Hope of eternal life is found only in Jesus. There is only one way to God because God has fully and finally revealed himself only in the person of Jesus.
I believe Jesus is coming again at an undisclosed time and we should be ready at all times for his long-awaited appearing.
(See the "Beliefs" tab for more on what I believe.)
THE ROLE AND MISSION OF THE LOCAL CHURCH
The role and mission of the local church is to make disciples of Jesus. It does this by teaching and modeling what Jesus taught, equipping the saints for the work of ministry, embodying the gospel in acts of mercy, and encouraging believers to use their gifts for the upbuilding of God’s people. The church is to live in sacrificial love toward each other and to the world.
The disciple-making role of the local church has three main areas of focus.
One, the church should strengthen the members of their own congregation. The local church should first learn to love and grow together so that they can be effective witnesses to their local community and beyond. The world will know Jesus’ disciples by the love a local church family has for one another.
Two, the local church should reach out to its local community with acts of mercy, justice, and evangelism. Each church has different gifts and strengths, so each church should have a different “reach”. But every church should be actively involved in making a difference in their local community. The church is called to be salt and light in the world.
Three, the local church should have a global missional impact. The church should seek to reach the ends of the earth with the good news about Jesus. Whether it’s sending missionaries, supporting indigenous church plants, or partnering with para-church organizations, the church is called to participate in the disciple-making of all nations. The local church should achieve a balance of personal discipleship and missional drive to be agents of Christ’s love in a hurting world. We should blend Christian love with social justice in a way that attracts unbelievers to our message and empowers God’s people to be agents of change.