Bill Holdridge
Vision:
I guess I’m a coach at heart. I love to encourage, stimulate, teach, and help others… so they can do what they do better.
Particularly, I love to help and encourage pastors. I know that the ministry of the senior pastor is an incredibly difficult and challenging calling, and is getting more difficult all the time.
I served as a senior pastor for almost 28 years. I know that in those years, I didn’t always take advantage of the support that was available to me. Too many times I wrestled with weighty matters on my own. The Lord was faithful to speak to me, of course, but some situations and seasons could have used feedback from others. At this stage of my life, I’m available to provide that sort of thing to my peers in ministry.
I know how much another set of eyes on a subject can benefit the pastor and his ministry. My approach is to ask a lot of questions, to listen long and hard, and then offer my input. For me, that input is like a plate of hors d’ oeuvres… I put it out there and a pastor is free to take what he likes and reject or ignore what he doesn’t like. In the past couple of years, I’ve done a number of church consultations, which are basically times of evaluation of church, its ministries, and its people.
I’m also available for pulpit support, men’s retreats, leadership sessions, and inductive Bible study training.
Bio:
I received Christ in 1969 at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. In 1973 I was filled with the Holy Spirit. It was at that time that the Lord called me into ministry. Within a couple of years I discovered that meant pastoral ministry, and the ministry of God’s Word.
I was deeply committed to a home fellowship out of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa (I eventually became its pastor), and have always considered Chuck Smith to be my pastor, although I was never on staff at “big Calvary.” I studied and learned under Pastor Chuck for 4½ years before moving to the Monterey Peninsula to start my first church in February of 1978. Also during that time I obtained a degree in ministry from Melodyland School of Theology in Anaheim, CA.
My first official Sunday as pastor of what was then called Calvary Chapel of the Monterey Peninsula was March 1, 1979. I continued as the pastor of the fellowship for almost 27 years, until I stepped down in February of 2006. During those years, we grew into a solid church community, and were able to eventually purchase property and build a facility. God was very gracious—and patient. He allowed me to learn much about pastoral ministry as I grew in age and experience. My mistakes in ministry have probably been better teachers to me than my successes.
I think my most important spiritual growth came as I discovered some of the deeper realities of the new covenant. Some of those years brought depression and loads of self-doubt. The Lord used the hard times to teach me grace (I’m still learning… obviously I need more). Also, He’s used the hard times to develop much greater compassion for people. He does not waste a single thing that occurs in our lives.
Since February of 2006 I have been functioning as a so-called “pastor-at-large.” In that capacity I’ve been able to teach in international and domestic Bible colleges, provide consultation for churches, spend time with pastors on an individual basis, write, speak at conferences and retreats, serve in a Korean-American congregation, function as a transitional pastor for a fledgling church in the Napa Valley, provide pulpit support, minister at most recent home church, Calvary Chapel of Santa Cruz, and serve as an interim pastor at the present time with a small church in Capitola, CA. The opportunities have been varied and interesting.
In our present capacity we are available to travel and minister as the Lord directs us, and also to oversee Poimen Ministries.
I’m passionate about pastoral ministry, and love to encourage pastors in what they do. Oftentimes, our peers in ministry have few places they can go to share their hearts. Or they have few relationally based resources to which they can turn. That’s why I started Poimen Ministries… to connect pastors to pastors in these ways.
I see the remaining years of my life and ministry as being years of help, support, consultation, and training of others who are called to shepherd God’s flock.
http://pastorbillholdridge.wordpress.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Holdridge/573433853
