Following God To Lead, Plant Churches And Train Pastors Overseas

When God called me to preach, I began to pursue the Lord. I prepared for the ministry by reading the Bible and by much prayer. I entered Bible College to continue studying where I obtained a BA in Missions. The most valuable thing I obtained in college was my lovely wife, Lana. I gained an understanding of the expansion of the church globally over 2,000 years.

I paid for my education by working at a radio station as a news reporter. The owner wanted me to join his company and be a station manager, but I declined, saying I had a higher calling. Then I set out as an itinerant preacher and nearly starved. Life on the road was tough!

That summer, our college president intercepted us in my home town. He said, “I’ve given your name to a church in Louisiana. I want you to go there and preach for them. They need a pastor.” So we went. They called me to be their pastor. We relocated from Florida to Baton Rouge and took on the task of revitalizing a struggling congregation.

While there, I learned that religious rebels can resist God as well as any hardened sinner. I also learned why it is hard to put new wine into old wine-skins. But many people were saved. The church grew and became vigorous.

After that experience, we left the organized church for a while, moved to Texas, and entered the wild west of the charismatic renewal. In that part of the body of Christ, there was much freedom in the Spirit but much chaos. I learned that there is no ideal religious system. The church is as imperfect as the people inside it.

Then, the Lord sent us back to Florida, to a Freewill Baptist Church. Once again, it was a restoration project. That small band of people had been beat down and abandoned by a self-willed former pastor. My job was to get them encouraged and growing again. By God’s grace, we accomplished that goal and enjoyed our time among them. It was a country church. We loved the outdoors. While there, I began writing newspaper columns, mostly about the role of men as fathers.

An insane notion to go plant a church invaded my thoughts. This we did, starting a new work with five families in West Virginia. I learned that when two or three agree together in alignment with the will of God, anything is possible. God’s blessing was with us.

Four years later, a call came for me to speak in Arkansas for a conference on the gift of prophecy. This we did, only to find out that the church, an independent congregation, was seeking to replace their retiring leader. They liked us and called us. And after much prayer, we moved to Arkansas. We finished their building project. The church doubled in size.

From there, my wife and I went to Africa to fulfill a lifelong dream. We landed in Johannesburg. We began training pastors in biblical leadership principles. We stayed there until the 9/11 attack, then returned to the U.S.A. and landed in North Carolina.

Later, we helped revitalize a failing church in Mississippi. Then, we moved back to Arkansas with a word, “It’s time to put family first.” Lana and I now live here, near our two adult children, Scott and Rebekah, and our six lovely grandchildren.

“When God called

me to preach, I began to pursue the Lord. I prepared for the ministry by reading the Bible and by much prayer.”

RON WOOD IS A WRITER AND MINISTER. CONTACT HIM AT WOOD.STONE.RON@ GMAIL.COM OR VISIT WWW. TOUCHEDBYGRACE.ORG. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.