March 15, 2000

Identical twin brothers serving
as pastors in same association
___By George Henson
___Staff Writer
___If the folks in Brady Baptist Association think they are seeing double, Steve and Scott Tompkins' mother only gets partial credit. The 31-year-old identical twins believe serving churches 20 minutes apart as pastor is the handiwork of God.
___The somewhat confusing saga of how a couple of Oklahoma "river rats," as some in

STEVE and SCOTT TOMPKINS

their congregations refer to them, came to be the pastors of First Baptist Church in Menard and First Baptist Church in Eden does seem unusual.
___Steve Tompkins' father-in-law, Milton Tyler, was serving as interim pastor at First Baptist Church in Eden and told him the church was ready to call a permanent pastor. Steve also learned the Menard church was seeking a pastor, so he sent his brother's resume to both churches.
___The Menard church was interested in calling Scott as their pastor, but he wasn't certain what path his life was going to take. After his graduation from Dallas Theological Seminary, he took a position at Castle Hills Baptist Church in San Antonio as a preaching assistant.
___He didn't leave the Menard church without a little advice, however. "The guy that sent my resume is my brother, Steve. Have you considered him?" he asked the pastor search committee.
___The committee did look, and Steve was called as the church's pastor last fall.
___The Eden church got its search organized a bit later and also called Scott to see if he were interested in becoming their pastor, which he did last December, placing the twin brothers and their families only about 20 miles apart.
___"With the way it happened, it can only be God, and we thank him for the blessing," Steve said. "We couldn't have manufactured this. This is all Spirit-led."
___Scott agreed God has placed them close together and said it will help both their ministries.
___"As we face the trials of the modern-day pastorate, it is nice to have someone so close to talk about things and pray about things. We also hold each other accountable," he said. "Like Proverbs 27:17 says, 'As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.'"
___Steve shared the same verse when asked about how their ministries would be aided by their proximity, but offered another as well.
___"Proverbs 18:24 tells us that there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. We have the best of both worlds--a close friend who is also a brother."
___Steve added there is a more pragmatic boon as well. "We share libraries. I'll buy one book, and he'll buy the other."
___While the two brothers are close friends, they also match their communities by being friendly rivals. Both claim to be the better preacher, and, of course, better looking.
___Roy Epperson, director of missions for Brady, Coleman, Runnels Area, said the two young pastors are being well received.
___"First impressions of these two young pastors are very favorable. They are both easy to get to know and out-going. They are going to do a good job," Epperson said.
___

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