Inspire, Summer 2011

Practical Mentor Mentoring is so important to Pastor Wright that he has structured his ministry to reflect intentional discipleship. “We operate on the principle that no one’s name is on things when ministries are implemented or victories attained,” he said. “Christ gets the credit. That’s an atmosphere that creates a level playing field.” Jon McGinnis ’99 served as the youth pastor at Memorial for four years and credits Pastor Wright with teaching him how to be a practical pastor. “He helped me learn the day-to-day responsibilities,” Jon explained. “He taught me how to schedule my days, weeks, and months, walked me through hospital visits and crisis-management times, and challenged me and my wife to lead our first international missions trip.” Now that Jon is launching out into a brand-new ministry with law enforcement officers in Costa Rica, he admits he is only now realizing the timeless and priceless practicality of all that he learned under Pastor Wright’s guidance. “He did a great job of being a normal guy while also being a great example of how a shepherd should function,” Jon said. Gracious Mentor Dennis George ’76 was Pastor Wright’s first mentee at Memorial. He had accepted an associate pastor position a few months before Pastor Wright became the senior pastor. With a degree in Bible and Christian education, Dennis went on to serve at Memorial for 16 years and benefited from Pastor Wright’s mentorship approach. “When you think of mentoring, you often think of something intentional, and perhaps it was for him,” Dennis said. “But for me, it was more organic. I didn’t really realize it as it was happening.” The two spent countless hours serving together, making hospital visits, and conducting church business. Of all Dennis learned from Pastor Wright, from memorizing Scripture — “I can still quote verses we memorized together” — to embracing family values and the joy of ministry, he most appreciates the graciousness Pastor Wright extended to him. “It’s common protocol, when a senior pastor is hired, for associate staff to offer their resignations and allow the pastor to bring in his own staff,” Dennis said. “He made it clear from the beginning that if he came, he and I would be a package deal. That sealed our relationship from the beginning.” Model Mentor In 30 years of working alongside Cedarville graduates, Pastor Wright has found they tend to possess qualities needed for successful ministry. “They have a seriousness about life and ministry,” he said. “They are determined to make a difference for Christ wherever they are.” Indeed, each one who has served at Memorial under Pastor Wright’s guidance has gone on to become a missionary, senior pastor, or church planter. Yet even Cedarville graduates need help with what Pastor Wright likes to call “realistic passion.” He enjoys teaching grads to channel their natural ambition into a ministry controlled by the Spirit of God. Some 30 years after his mentorship began with Pastor Wright, Dennis has put his passion into reality as the teaching pastor at Journey Church, a congregation he recently planted in Columbus. Still, he thinks the most valuable thing about his years serving with Pastor Wright wasn’t anything the pastor told him but everything he did around him. “Words don’t matter much,” Dennis said. “What people do matters. Say it. Model it. That was a louder message. It made his words more meaningful.” Pastor Tom Wright, Jr., is the senior pastor of Memorial Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio. He and his wife, Sue, are proud of their Cedarville family: Lori (Wright) Nocella ’91 and her husband Larry ’90, Lianne (Wright) Russell ’96 and her husband Rusty ’94, Tom Wright ’99 and his wife Tammi (Sheldon) ’02, and Beth (Wright) Laborde ’04 and her husband Paul ’04. Nicole (Hanson) Russell ’04 is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer. She has written for Parents , Politico , and Christianity Today . You may contact her at russell.nm@gmail.com. Learn more and register: cedarville.edu/webinars Take advantage of 10 FREE webinars that offer practical information and advice for parents of high school and college students. Each webinar will focus on a particular topic and provide you the opportunity to interact with our campus experts. Resources for Parents of New Students Parents, Ask the Experts 2011–12Webinar Series