Caring for Ministers

Dear Ministry Colleague,

We have seen too many reports of ministerial burnout, dropout, and far too often moral failure. It is in this context that I believe our Eighteenth Annual Azusa Lecture will be of interest to you as a minister of the gospel.

Benjamin Hardin Irwin was “setting the holiness movement on fire” when he established the Fire-Baptized Holiness Association at the end of the nineteenth century. His emphasis on a “baptism of fire” following sanctification influenced the move of many toward the Pentecostal understanding of a third spiritual experience following salvation and sanctification. Yet, in time his inclination toward asceticism and extra-biblical “baptisms” led to rejection of much his movement offered. Understanding his life and ministry is vital to understanding Church of God history, however. No doubt some of his extreme teachings influenced and led to the decline of holiness believers following the Shearer Schoolhouse revival. Additionally, Irwin’s successful 1899 revival in Bradley County led to later ministry opportunities for A.J. Tomlinson and resulted in his relocation to Cleveland and the International Offices of the Church of God being in Cleveland today. Regrettably, B.H. Irwin was an example of moral failure!

Dr. Daniel Woods will present “The Confessions of Benjamin Hardin Irwin: Why We Should Bother to Listen.” An experienced pastor and an esteemed scholar of holiness and Pentecostal history, Dr. Woods will suggest to us that lessons from the life of B.H. Irwin and his confessions can teach us much about living today.

Following the Azusa Lecture, the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center will present the Spirit of Azusa Award to Dr. Harold Bare and host a reception in his honor. Harold, and his wife, Dr. Laila Bare, led Covenant Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, for thirty-nine years. Covenant Church included worshippers from more than twenty nations and hosted five services for ethnic minorities.

Beyond Dr. Bare’s experience as a lead pastor, we will emphasis his continuing ministry of encouragement. Having grown up in the homes of pastors, the Bares developed a passion to care for pastors and their families. Through their non-profit, Encouraging the Saints, they visit and encourage pastors’ families across the United States and in Europe.

The program will conclude with a brief highlight of the Church of God Center for Ministerial Care (https://www.centerforministerialcare.com/). The Center for Ministerial Care is a treasure of resources for today’s minister facing today’s challenges.

I do hope you will join us in person or online on Thursday, November 9, at 7:00 pm. We will meet in the Lee University Chapel or you can livestream at leeu.live or facebook.com/dixonprc.

May the Lord continue to bless you and your ministry!

David G. Roebuck, Ph.D.

Director, Dixon Pentecostal Research Center

Assistant Professor, Lee University

Church of God Historian