“In the beginning, God…” No greater beginning can be conceived than the book of Genesis which gives the whole of creation and all of humanity a radical orientation around a majestic God-centered vision of life.  The Bible clearly lays out its programmatic emphasis in its first four words (actually only two in the Hebrew). The sublime beginning of Genesis reminds us what we are often prone to forget: that God, rather than humanity, lies at the center of the cosmos.  Our propensity to make our own lives the center of our story is fool’s gold, a cheap counterfeit which cheapens the impact of the Genesis message which symbolically re-orientates our lives with God at the center of our lives rather than at the periphery.

The beginning of Genesis births not only the cosmos but also an invaluable teaching message for all time: all of life is about God. What a beautiful beginning, full of symbolic meaning for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear!

I believe in symbolic meanings, especially at the beginning of my pastoral ministry.  Unbeknownst to many, my first Sunday at Trinity Wellsprings Church was actually last Sunday!  I wanted to communicate to you, at least symbolically, that my pastoral ministry began with me doing two things.  First, I wanted to begin my ministry among you sitting under the Word of God.  At Trinity Wellsprings Church, the Word of God is primary, not the preacher!  We stake our lives of discipleship and our vision of the church upon the life-transforming Word of God. I sat in the 8:00 am service mindful that my ministry among you can only have a lasting impact insofar as I am faithful in sitting under the Word of God and its authority.

Second, I was delighted at 9:00 am and 10:30 am to meet a vital and essential part of our church family: our students and children. Make no mistake about it, our children and youth form the backbone of our church family! I am excited to get to know all of our adult members but I am equally enthusiastic about communicating a simple message to our children and youth: “I feel privileged to be your pastor as well!”

Brothers and sisters, I am excited to be here and lean into all that God has in store for us as a church family!

Be encouraged,
Pastor Jason

To the disciples of Jesus at Trinity Wellsprings Church:

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ!

If I had to compress my calling at Trinity Wellsprings Church into a memorable phrase, it might be to Preach, Pray, and Be with People.  I recognize, of course, that my pastoral calling is multi-faceted.  Leading teams (esp. session and staff), casting vision, planning worship, celebrating the sacraments, showing hospitality, teaching the faith, discipling believers, living missionally in our community, and…yes…all…the…meetings! 

Many of these tasks are indispensable to the life of our church. Our covenant partners have a natural and healthy desire to see their church run well administratively. I concur.  Our covenant partners expect a high degree of relational integrity and authenticity from their pastors. I agree.

I hope to consistently model a character that embodies those “old time” pastoral traits like empathetic listening, encouraging others, and compassionate sensitivity. Pastoral leadership is more than the sum of one’s tasks but resides in the character of one’s calling.

Yet my desire, primarily, is to Preach, Pray, and Be with People. I remember some of the pastors in my Covenant Group adopting this axiom simply because it spoke to the “center” of our calling as pastors.

Preach: I want to immerse myself in biblical texts because I believe these truths transform us from self-centered sinners to God-glorifying saints.

Pray: I want to enroll in the School of Prayer and be found praying for our church and with our covenant partners. In short, I want to be a pastor who prays with and for you.

Be with People: I want to know your story – your joys, your hurts, your doubts, and your journey. This is who I am. And these are the ideals that I strive to live and breathe and embody as your pastor.

Grateful to be with you in this journey of discipleship,
Pastor Jason Carter