Full Circle
By Pastor Rick Thompson
My first remembrance of Council Road was in high school at Putnam City West. Many of my friends were attending the student ministry and invited me to an “afterglow” event after one of our football games. I was amazed at the number of teenagers who attended, and how excited they were about the church. John Kyle was an energetic leader of the student ministry, was a lot of fun and quickly befriended me and my circle of friends. He was different from any minister I had ever known—he had a unique ability to speak the language of teens, and yet he carried the mantle of ministry leader. I had a lot of admiration for the new pastor, Wendell Estep, and how he led the church to reach the community. Wendell was a big influence in my life, as I was planning to go into ministry, and I found myself drawn to his leadership style. I would go on to serve on Wendell’s staff when he moved to South Carolina. I was the first minister he brought on his staff at the time. My mentor became my boss and my lifelong teacher.
In my senior year of high school, John Kyle invited me to come and speak at Council Road during the annual “youth revival.” Wow! I nervous as I stood in front of a room full of people in the old Chapel. I still remember my sermon—it was about Jonah and the whale. I started by saying, “If a man catches a fish, that’s not news, but if a fish catches a man, that’s news!” I was proud of that opening line! It was such a great hook (no pun intended).
My dad pastored a neighboring church, so I was not actually a member of CRBC, but through all my ministry years as a young man, I was a great admirer of Council Road. I watched from a distance as new buildings were added, such as the Children’s Building and the Worship Center. And so, when I first heard from the pastor search committee many years later about the possibility of coming as pastor, it seemed like a dream. The church I had most admired in my youth would become the church I would pastor—it seemed as if the journey of ministry that had been so impacted by Council Road in my youth was coming to full circle with my calling as pastor. What a privilege it is to serve this great church and to celebrate my 20th year on our 60th anniversary! I have loved every minute of this amazing journey.
Author Bio
Pastor Rick has served as Senior Pastor at Council Road Baptist Church for 20 years. He also serves as President of Global Action, an international missions organization that focuses on training local pastors around the world. He and his wife, Teri, have two adult children and three grandchildren.