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Gouge strives to help churches succeed
by Jule Hubbard
The Brushy Mountain Baptist Association's new director of missions is actively offering himself as a resource and helper to the association's 38 churches.
"I think my basic role is to help churches in the association succeed," said the Rev. Dr. D. Steven Gouge.
"My heart is in working with pastors and helping them be stronger and healthier in their communities and in helping their churches grow and develop in their ability to bring others to Christ," said Gouge.
He said that out of respect for the autonomy of individual churches within an association, he must ask to be invited when and where to assist. "This office can't mandate anything to a member church," Gouge added.
To get to know individual churches and how he can serve them, Gouge is attending their worship services and meeting with church representatives at the association office on N.C. 268 West in Wilkesboro.
Gouge is trained as a church consultant and has worked with churches as a "congregational coach," as a coach for pastors and in other ways. "I challenge them where they need to be challenged and then lead them along a process."
While he believes the changing role of Baptist associations includes greater focus on particular needs of individual churches, he emphasized the importance of association ministry programs like the Brushy Mountain Baptist Association's Wilkes Ministry of hope (Helping Other People Excel).
With John Triplett as director, the Ministry of hope provides people in need with food and shelter. "It allows us to serve people's physical needs and looks beyond that to their spiritual needs," said Gouge.
The association staff also includes Lois Woodie as administrative assistant.
Gouge also said he hopes to build on the work of the Rev. Lawson Horton, who served for 17 years in the position Gouge now occupies.
Gouge was a minister of Baptist churches in Texas, South Carolina, East Tennessee and, most recently, at Eastway Baptist Church in Charlotte (10 years) and Southside Baptist Church in Mooresville (13 years) before he became director of missions for the Brushy Mountain Baptist Association in January.
Also in January, Gouge started teaching a clinical pastoral education course at Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute in Hendersonville.
"The objective of the class is to teach young men and women to know how to function in various (pastoral) situations, like serving a family at a funeral home…. We also talk about conflict management, referring people to other professionals and services available in a community" and other practical, hands-on subjects.
About half of his students are pastors with churches, while the others haven't yet started jobs in the ministry.
Although he used to think he would never do anything but preach, Gouge said he was evaluating his life and wondering what he could do to better serve Christ and help others not long before he started teaching at Fruitland and serving as director of missions for the Brushy Mountain Baptist Association.
"It seemed like the Lord was telling me to pour my life into helping pastors and churches… like He was telling me to pour my life into the lives of others to help them make a difference," he said."
Gouge also is certified as an interfaith evangelism specialist for the North American Board and is a trustee for the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. He has served on the General Board of the N.C. Baptist Convention, on convention committees, as a seminary extension instructor and on the Home Mission Week and Student Ministries Week faculty at Ridgecrest.
He has a bachelor of arts degree with a double major in social science and psychology from Western Carolina University, a master of divinity degree and a master of religious education degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctor of ministry degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Gouge said he had experienced the consequences of a rebellious period while at Western Carolina when he went through a time of reflection and realized he was being called by God to the ministry.
He and his wife, Wanda, are both natives of Mitchell County.
Mrs. Gouge is a graduate of Central Piedmont Community College with an associate degree in sign language interpreting for the hearing impaired. She worked as a church secretary for 16 years, has been a Sunday school teacher and has taught at marriage enrichment retreats.
They have two grown daughters and six grandchildren, who live in Kentucky. |
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