Kris Drees: ‘I enjoy seeing the “lightbulb” come on’

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Kris Drees has been pastor of Haltom Road Baptist Church in Haltom City going on two years. From deep in the heart of one Texan, he shares his background and thoughts on church and ministry. To suggest a Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated minister to be featured in this column, or to apply to be featured yourself, click here.

Background

Where else have you served in ministry, and what were your positions there?

I was the pastor of Lawrence Street Baptist Church in Muskogee, Okla., six years.

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Tucson, Ariz., and spent a couple of years in Turkey when I was a toddler. I grew up in Fairborn, Ohio, right outside of Dayton.

How did you come to faith in Christ?

When I was 9 years old, I was invited to church by a friend. I responded to the preaching of the gospel on my third visit and was led to the Lord by my Sunday school teacher, Bro. Hayes. His faithfulness and love of God’s word made a lasting impression on me.

Where were you educated, and what degrees did you receive?


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Bachelor of arts degree in pastoral ministry and the Bible from Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Mo., in 2001. Master of divinity degree in Christian ministry from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., in 2009.

Ministry/church

Why do you feel called into ministry?

I have a deep desire to communicate God’s word to both believers and unbelievers so that they can experience God’s love and mercy as I have.

What is your favorite aspect of ministry? Why?

Preaching and teaching. I thoroughly love making Scripture come alive in ways that long-time readers of the Bible haven’t seen before. I enjoy seeing the “lightbulb” come on when someone sees the beauty and the relevance of the Bible like they never have before.

What one aspect of congregational life gives you the greatest joy?

Loving and being loved by the members. I am more of an introverted person, yet I find incredible joy in visiting with church members and guests before and after service. This time each week makes all the difficulties worth it!

What one aspect of congregational life would you like to change?

I wish there was a way to do away with discontentment in the life of the church. Far too often, our personal preferences and desires are emphasized to the detriment of the life of the body.

How has your ministry or your perspective on ministry changed?

In school and when I first became a pastor, my understanding of ministry was much narrower. I believed all I had to do to be a good and effective pastor was to preach God’s word in a faithful manner. I was, also, under the impression that all the methods and tools that we used in ministry were dictated by the Bible.

Since then, my perspective has broadened considerably. I still strongly believe it is the preaching of God’s word that truly changes hearts and lives, but I am much more open to creativity in evangelism and outreach and to using leadership principles gleaned from experience in the world at large.

How do you expect congregational life to change in the next 10 to 20 years?

I tend to be optimistic about the future of congregational life. Cultural Christianity clearly is in retreat, but this is good for authentic Christianity. In the next decade or two, I believe, we will continue to see a shift away from “country club” church to church as a more genuine, Christ-like community. I think we are beginning to see a shift away from large mega-churches, back to a smaller, closer-knit community in congregational life.

What qualities do you look for in a congregation?

Keeping Christ and the Bible front and center in the worship and life of the church is absolutely fundamental to a congregation. A strong emphasis on safeguarding the unity of the body is another quality that is important. The ability to concretely express love to one another and the community is essential as well.

Name the three most significant challenges and/or influences facing your congregation.

The first major challenge that I see is the changing demographics of the community around our church building. The community is becoming much more diverse culturally than is currently represented in our church. We, as a congregation, must discover ways to build relationships with the people around us and figure out how to more effectively display the love of Christ to them in word and deed.

The second challenge is competing with all the busyness of modern life. People have less and less time that they are able and willing to devote to church life. We, as a church, must discover a new balance on the expectations we place on new believers and members.

A significant influence I see is the over-emphasis of politics in the life of the church.

About Baptists

What are the key issues facing Baptists—denominationally and/or congregationally?

The rapidity of our changing society threatens to tear both congregations and the denomination apart. We are struggling with how we should change with culture and where we must biblically stand firm. In many congregations, there is a denial for a need to change at all. This denial is itself an issue we must overcome.

What would you change about the Baptist denomination—state, nation or local?

I would change our reputation. It seems that far too many people have a preconceived notion that all Baptists are judgmental toward anyone who is different from them. I have not found this to be true, at least not as pervasively as it is perceived.

About Kris

Who were/are your mentors, and how did/do they influence you?

Doug Shivers, pastor of Boulevard Baptist Church in Springfield, Mo. He demonstrated to me how grace works out in ministry and the importance of patience.

Brian Croft, pastor of Auburndale Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky. He awakened in me a desire to personally minister and know the members of the congregation.

What did you learn on the job you wish you learned in seminary?

I wish I had learned more about the administration aspects of being a pastor. Crisis management would have been extremely helpful. It would have been good if I could have learned more about the legal issues facing the church today and how they intersect and interact with pastoral practice.

What is the impact of ministry on your family?

I know it’s common for those in ministry to bemoan how hard the pastorate is on their family. We have encountered our fair share of that. However, I’ve also noticed how much my children love to go to church. They want to be there every time I am. I believe that is a blessing of the ministry on them.

Name some of your favorite books—other than the Bible—or authors, and explain why.

I am a bit of a sci-fi geek. I love Frank Herbert’s Dune, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game series. I greatly admire the way they can create entire universes that are so rich and distinct, yet develop characters that draw you in and are relatable.

What is your favorite Bible verse or passage? Why?

There are a couple of Old Testament stories that I find myself coming back to time and time again. The valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37 beautifully describes a future revival of Israel that I believe is fulfilled in the church today. The boldness of Abraham bargaining with God to save Sodom and Gomorrah and Moses telling God that he can’t destroy Israel because his glory is bound to the nation are incredible examples about how we can boldly approach God’s throne today through the blood of Jesus.

Who is your favorite Bible character, other than Jesus? Why?

Joseph’s stubbornness in continuing to follow God even in the lowest of circumstances is something that we all should mimic today!

Name something about you that would surprise your church.

I think most of my church would be surprised to know I am quite introverted in my personal life. It takes a lot of personal effort for me to fully interact with people in general.

If you could get one “do over” in ministry, what would it be, and why?

In my previous pastorate, I chose to lovingly confront someone about their behavior, but the timing that I chose was completely inappropriate. I went against the advice given to me by my mentors. I wish I had to do it over again, because I know that I hurt the individual and the church with my mistake.

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