Where Jesus Wounds, He Means to Heal
One of the dangers of the Christian life is how easy it is to separate admiration from submission.
It is possible to admire Jesus deeply. To read His Word regularly. To sit under faithful preaching. To affirm sound doctrine. And yet, at the same time, to resist Him in specific, personal ways.
Not openly. Not defiantly. But subtly.
We learn how to listen without yielding.
Most Christians do not reject Jesus outright. Instead, we assume He has rightful authority over our lives in general, while quietly maintaining control over particular areas. We trust Him with eternity, but hesitate to trust Him with today. We affirm His lordship in principle, but negotiate with Him in practice.
And usually, the resistance reveals itself in ordinary places.
A pattern of speech we know is wrong, but continue to excuse.
A relationship that pulls our heart away from obedience.
A private sin we intend to address someday, but not yet.
A step of obedience we know is right, but hope to delay.
We rarely say, “I will not obey.” Instead, we simply wait. We postpone. We create space between conviction and action.
But delayed obedience is still resistance.
Scripture has a way of exposing these places. Not all at once, but patiently. Faithfully. It presses into areas we would prefer remain untouched. And when it does, we face a quiet but significant decision. Will we trust Jesus enough to obey Him there?
This is where the Christian life becomes deeply personal.
Because Jesus does not confront sin merely to correct behavior. He confronts it to restore what sin has diminished. His authority is not harsh or arbitrary. It is careful and purposeful.
He presses on specific areas of our lives because He intends to make us whole.
Yet obedience often feels risky. It requires us to release control. It requires us to trust that His way is better, even when it is harder.
This is why so many areas of spiritual growth begin with simple, immediate steps of obedience. Confessing sin instead of hiding it. Seeking reconciliation instead of preserving pride. Turning away from patterns we have tolerated for too long.
Growth rarely begins with dramatic change. It begins with quiet surrender.
And over time, those small acts of trust reshape the heart. They loosen sin’s grip. They deepen our confidence in Christ. They remind us that His authority is not something to fear, but something to welcome.
Because wherever Jesus presses, He does so as the One who loves us. The One who gave Himself for us. The One who is committed not only to forgiving us, but to transforming us.
And the safest, most freeing place a Christian can live is under His gracious and perfect authority.
Special Business Meeting
We’re holding a special called business meeting for FBC members this Sunday at the conclusion of our morning gatherings. The purpose of the meeting is to amend the budget to cover worship ministry during this transitional period and to affirm Teri Hunt as a new deaconess.
Purpose and Ministry Transition
Following the resignation of our Worship Director, the Council of Shepherds has reviewed the ongoing needs of our worship and technology ministries. While that leadership position has changed, the weekly responsibilities of preparing services, coordinating volunteers, and supporting both worship and technical teams remain essential.
At the same time, the spiritual leadership, theological direction, and development of those serving in worship continue to fall within the role of the Shepherds.
Rather than immediately filling another director-level position, the Shepherds are recommending a revised staffing structure that places ministry leadership and oversight with the Council of Shepherds and assigns week-to-week operational responsibilities to two part-time Pastoral Assistants.
This approach aligns with the church constitution and reflects both ministry effectiveness and responsible financial stewardship.
Staffing Plan: Promotion of Benton Rucker and Alec Lockhart
To provide continuity and stability following this transition, the Shepherds recommend promoting two individuals who are already faithfully serving within these ministries.
Benton Rucker will be promoted from Worship Intern to Pastoral Assistant for Worship Ministry, focusing primarily on worship team coordination and service preparation.
Alec Lockhart will serve as Pastoral Assistant for Technical Ministry and Junior High Coordination, overseeing technical operations for worship services and coordinating the Wednesday night junior high ministry.
Both positions will be part-time, with an expected commitment of approximately 10 to 20 hours per week each, adjusted as ministry needs fluctuate throughout the year.
Pastoral Assistant Responsibilities
(Benton Rucker)
Under the direction of the Council of Shepherds, responsibilities will include:
Scheduling worship team members for each service
Communicating rehearsal times and weekly expectations
Preparing worship materials for rehearsals and services
Serving on the worship team as needed
Assisting with onboarding and basic training of worship volunteers
Helping ensure each service is prepared and organized
Other duties as needed
(Alec Lockhart)
Under the direction of the Council of Shepherds, responsibilities will include:
Assisting with sound, media, and livestream coordination
Entering lyrics, Scripture, and service elements into presentation software
Scheduling technical volunteers for each service
Supporting and organizing technical team members
Coordinating Wednesday night junior high ministry
Other duties as needed
Shepherd Oversight and Leadership Responsibilities
With the Worship Director position no longer in place, the Council of Shepherds will provide direct leadership and oversight for worship and technical ministries, including:
Spiritual care and discipleship for ministry volunteers
Guiding worship philosophy, song selection, and service flow
Recruiting and developing volunteers and future leaders
Ensuring theological clarity and Christ-centered worship
Evaluating ministry health and supporting both Pastoral Assistants
Benefits of This Approach
Provides stability following staff transition
Strengthens weekly organization and preparation
Maintains pastoral leadership over worship ministry
Uses existing budgeted funds responsibly
Supports leadership development
Allows flexibility for future staffing needs
Conclusion
In response to the resignation of the Worship Director, the Council of Shepherds is recommending a staffing structure that strengthens ministry operations while remaining financially responsible.
By promoting Benton Rucker and Alec Lockhart to Pastoral Assistant roles and reallocating existing budgeted funds, First Baptist Church Kenova can continue to provide Christ-centered, well-organized worship gatherings, support youth ministry, and invest in future leaders without increasing the church budget.
This plan offers clarity, continuity, and wise stewardship as the church moves forward.
In accordance with Article XVI, Section 4 of the Constitution of First Baptist Church of Kenova, a Special Business Meeting has been called upon the recommendation of the Council of Shepherds, the Nominating Committee, and the Budget & Finance Committee
Date: February 22, 2026
Time: at the conclusion of the 9am and 11:15am worship gatherings
Purpose of the Meeting
The following items will be considered:
1. Budget Amendment – Pastoral Assistants
The church will consider a proposal to combine the current 2026 budget lines for:
Ministry Interns
Worship Director
These two lines currently total $61,490, including employer payroll expenses such as FICA.
The proposal would establish two new budget lines for Pastoral Assistants, who will assume the ministry responsibilities previously overseen by the Worship Director following his resignation.
Each position would be compensated at $23 per hour, not to exceed 25 hours per week. The total annual allocation for both positions would be $64,376, including employer payroll expenses.
This represents an annual increase of $2,886, which would raise the overall 2026 budget bottom line accordingly.
2. Affirmation of Deaconess
To consider and vote on the affirmation of Teri Hunt to serve as Deaconess for a three-year term (2026–2028).
As required by our Constitution, this notice is being published and announced at all services at least one full week in advance, and no other business will be considered at this Special Business Meeting. All active members are encouraged to attend.
It is possible to admire Jesus deeply. To read His Word regularly. To sit under faithful preaching. To affirm sound doctrine. And yet, at the same time, to resist Him in specific, personal ways.
Not openly. Not defiantly. But subtly.
We learn how to listen without yielding.
Most Christians do not reject Jesus outright. Instead, we assume He has rightful authority over our lives in general, while quietly maintaining control over particular areas. We trust Him with eternity, but hesitate to trust Him with today. We affirm His lordship in principle, but negotiate with Him in practice.
And usually, the resistance reveals itself in ordinary places.
A pattern of speech we know is wrong, but continue to excuse.
A relationship that pulls our heart away from obedience.
A private sin we intend to address someday, but not yet.
A step of obedience we know is right, but hope to delay.
We rarely say, “I will not obey.” Instead, we simply wait. We postpone. We create space between conviction and action.
But delayed obedience is still resistance.
Scripture has a way of exposing these places. Not all at once, but patiently. Faithfully. It presses into areas we would prefer remain untouched. And when it does, we face a quiet but significant decision. Will we trust Jesus enough to obey Him there?
This is where the Christian life becomes deeply personal.
Because Jesus does not confront sin merely to correct behavior. He confronts it to restore what sin has diminished. His authority is not harsh or arbitrary. It is careful and purposeful.
He presses on specific areas of our lives because He intends to make us whole.
Yet obedience often feels risky. It requires us to release control. It requires us to trust that His way is better, even when it is harder.
This is why so many areas of spiritual growth begin with simple, immediate steps of obedience. Confessing sin instead of hiding it. Seeking reconciliation instead of preserving pride. Turning away from patterns we have tolerated for too long.
Growth rarely begins with dramatic change. It begins with quiet surrender.
And over time, those small acts of trust reshape the heart. They loosen sin’s grip. They deepen our confidence in Christ. They remind us that His authority is not something to fear, but something to welcome.
Because wherever Jesus presses, He does so as the One who loves us. The One who gave Himself for us. The One who is committed not only to forgiving us, but to transforming us.
And the safest, most freeing place a Christian can live is under His gracious and perfect authority.
Special Business Meeting
We’re holding a special called business meeting for FBC members this Sunday at the conclusion of our morning gatherings. The purpose of the meeting is to amend the budget to cover worship ministry during this transitional period and to affirm Teri Hunt as a new deaconess.
Purpose and Ministry Transition
Following the resignation of our Worship Director, the Council of Shepherds has reviewed the ongoing needs of our worship and technology ministries. While that leadership position has changed, the weekly responsibilities of preparing services, coordinating volunteers, and supporting both worship and technical teams remain essential.
At the same time, the spiritual leadership, theological direction, and development of those serving in worship continue to fall within the role of the Shepherds.
Rather than immediately filling another director-level position, the Shepherds are recommending a revised staffing structure that places ministry leadership and oversight with the Council of Shepherds and assigns week-to-week operational responsibilities to two part-time Pastoral Assistants.
This approach aligns with the church constitution and reflects both ministry effectiveness and responsible financial stewardship.
Staffing Plan: Promotion of Benton Rucker and Alec Lockhart
To provide continuity and stability following this transition, the Shepherds recommend promoting two individuals who are already faithfully serving within these ministries.
Benton Rucker will be promoted from Worship Intern to Pastoral Assistant for Worship Ministry, focusing primarily on worship team coordination and service preparation.
Alec Lockhart will serve as Pastoral Assistant for Technical Ministry and Junior High Coordination, overseeing technical operations for worship services and coordinating the Wednesday night junior high ministry.
Both positions will be part-time, with an expected commitment of approximately 10 to 20 hours per week each, adjusted as ministry needs fluctuate throughout the year.
Pastoral Assistant Responsibilities
(Benton Rucker)
Under the direction of the Council of Shepherds, responsibilities will include:
Scheduling worship team members for each service
Communicating rehearsal times and weekly expectations
Preparing worship materials for rehearsals and services
Serving on the worship team as needed
Assisting with onboarding and basic training of worship volunteers
Helping ensure each service is prepared and organized
Other duties as needed
(Alec Lockhart)
Under the direction of the Council of Shepherds, responsibilities will include:
Assisting with sound, media, and livestream coordination
Entering lyrics, Scripture, and service elements into presentation software
Scheduling technical volunteers for each service
Supporting and organizing technical team members
Coordinating Wednesday night junior high ministry
Other duties as needed
Shepherd Oversight and Leadership Responsibilities
With the Worship Director position no longer in place, the Council of Shepherds will provide direct leadership and oversight for worship and technical ministries, including:
Spiritual care and discipleship for ministry volunteers
Guiding worship philosophy, song selection, and service flow
Recruiting and developing volunteers and future leaders
Ensuring theological clarity and Christ-centered worship
Evaluating ministry health and supporting both Pastoral Assistants
Benefits of This Approach
Provides stability following staff transition
Strengthens weekly organization and preparation
Maintains pastoral leadership over worship ministry
Uses existing budgeted funds responsibly
Supports leadership development
Allows flexibility for future staffing needs
Conclusion
In response to the resignation of the Worship Director, the Council of Shepherds is recommending a staffing structure that strengthens ministry operations while remaining financially responsible.
By promoting Benton Rucker and Alec Lockhart to Pastoral Assistant roles and reallocating existing budgeted funds, First Baptist Church Kenova can continue to provide Christ-centered, well-organized worship gatherings, support youth ministry, and invest in future leaders without increasing the church budget.
This plan offers clarity, continuity, and wise stewardship as the church moves forward.
In accordance with Article XVI, Section 4 of the Constitution of First Baptist Church of Kenova, a Special Business Meeting has been called upon the recommendation of the Council of Shepherds, the Nominating Committee, and the Budget & Finance Committee
Date: February 22, 2026
Time: at the conclusion of the 9am and 11:15am worship gatherings
Purpose of the Meeting
The following items will be considered:
1. Budget Amendment – Pastoral Assistants
The church will consider a proposal to combine the current 2026 budget lines for:
Ministry Interns
Worship Director
These two lines currently total $61,490, including employer payroll expenses such as FICA.
The proposal would establish two new budget lines for Pastoral Assistants, who will assume the ministry responsibilities previously overseen by the Worship Director following his resignation.
Each position would be compensated at $23 per hour, not to exceed 25 hours per week. The total annual allocation for both positions would be $64,376, including employer payroll expenses.
This represents an annual increase of $2,886, which would raise the overall 2026 budget bottom line accordingly.
2. Affirmation of Deaconess
To consider and vote on the affirmation of Teri Hunt to serve as Deaconess for a three-year term (2026–2028).
As required by our Constitution, this notice is being published and announced at all services at least one full week in advance, and no other business will be considered at this Special Business Meeting. All active members are encouraged to attend.
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