Transcript of My Farewell Words to Legacy Church

I have written down my words today as I want to be sure I communicate what I want to say in a precise and full way, so forgive me for any sense of formality or any sense of being impersonal for that is surely not the intent. For those that are interested, I will be posting these thoughts on my blog site at the end of the day.

Today will culminate and conclude the almost 17 years of Legacy Church, the 22 years of ministry here in Charleston, SC and over 35 years of being a local church pastor. I can remember receiving the call of God to preach in 1978, as an ignorant and naive recent convert to Jesus Christ, I never conceived that there would be a time that I would not be preaching or teaching the Word of God. It was that life altering. And indeed, whatever conclusion takes place today, it in no way concludes the ministry that both Tracie and I have been called to. Ministry, while not our identity, is certainly our function and purpose. The title, the forum, or the venue may change, but I can assure you that we will faithfully teach and preach the Scriptures as God opens the door to those opportunities.

I want to thank those of you here at this conclusion service for your resiliency, perseverance, love, and loyalty to the Baird’s and to this local church. I realize that many people were involved in our church over the last 17 years which are no longer here. Tracie’s and my joke has been that if everyone who walked through the doors of Legacy had stuck with us there would be 20,000 people worshipping with us. But that was obviously not God’s plan and truthfully if that would have happened, as exciting as that sounds, it might have circumvented this more important moment. People left through the years for various reasons, but nearly all helped in numerous ways, no matter how our relationship concluded, which still deserves a heart-felt thank-you. To those of you that are actually here at the conclusion, you deserve the whip-cream and cherry on top of the thank-you. Each one of you were absolutely vital to the mission. You have walked with us because you loved us and were able to either overlook or understand my personality quirks, my introversion, and my prophetic DNA. You deserve a trophy (or perhaps free counseling services) for your long-suffering and love. I am forever grateful. Your commitment has been remarkable and an incredible blessing. Your labor of love and attachment will never be forgotten or appreciated.

Perhaps this is as good a place as any to also say to each of you, please forgive me for my shortcomings as a leader and a pastor. I am acutely aware that my pastoral leadership is fraught with deficiencies. An honest evaluation by any objective standard would say that my temperament and giftings do not squarely fit into the pastoral role. Many men are far better at it than I am, but I can say with a clear conscience that there was never a moment my leadership motive was impure. I have always wanted to honor the Lord and assist God’s people into His Will. My methods or reactions may have been better on occasion, but I can assure you my intent was always to provoke people unto greater love for God and righteous service.

It would be a lie to say that these past several months have been easy or emotionless. Personally, I have experienced every conceivable emotion known to man. At times I have been sad that our season has come to an end and at the same time excited considering the possibilities and opportunities for everyone in the days ahead. We have had as a church some of the most memorable and incredible experiences and victories together as well as sharing in some of the most difficult and challenging moments these past 17 years. But that is the journey with the Lord isn’t it? It’s one of the reasons why He gathers a people together and calls it a Church. We will always lean on Him, but as human beings He knows that it helps when there are flesh and blood people who can shout, laugh, cry, and mourn beside us. As a church we have baptized and buried, fellowshipped and fought, evangelized and discipled. We have endeavored to both serve and challenge our city. We have fed the poor, paid utility bills, assisted with rents, and even built a Habitat for Humanity house. We have walked our city in prayer walks and prayed for revival. We have cried out for justice at the death mills. We have raised monies for foreign missions, trips and disaster relief. We have renovated retail space and done church on the run. We have sent monies to others who were building their buildings. We have held retreats, encounters and prophetic conferences. We did Christmas plays and had some amazing illustrated sermons. We have hosted national ministerial gatherings. We have had an amazing list of guest speakers:

Fred Denham
Houston Miles
Carl Morris
Frank Harvey
Michael Rowan
Joe Warner
Ray Self
Rick Paladin
Keith Tucci
Ron Johnson
Rod and Mary Aguillard
Dick Bashta
Doug Allen
Clayton Baird
Mike Ware
Brian Cagle
Charles Gaulden
Tracy Stewart
Billie Hunt
Kathy Pavlansky
Lance Johnson
Kent Henry
Lee Bright
Larry Stockstill
Jerry Cocran
Tim Blevins
(To name but a few)

Our experiences and ministry as a church have been incredibly vast over these years. When you hear it spoken out loud there is (at least to me) a sense of sanctified pride at the work God allowed us to accomplish together in this city. We made a difference. We have left a mark.

I remember just several months ago being at the attorney’s office dealing with questions concerning our closure and the emotion of it all caught up to me. He is a good Christian brother who reminded me that churches eventually close and God’s people journey to their next gathering. He reminded me that most (if not all) the churches of the New Testament no longer exist and that if truth be told honestly, there are untold numbers of churches that might do well to consider closing. A church truly is organic. It is a body. And a body runs it’s course and serves it’s purposes unto God and then it is time to celebrate its accomplishments and hand the torch to the next generation or other works. I appreciated his affirmation that day when he said that Legacy and the Baird’s have forever left a mark in this city. I pray that is so.

As I considered my words for today, I started to think again of conclusions and partings in the Scripture. I suppose the most notable parting remarks are either from Jesus Himself or Paul the apostle. Neither one I would liken myself to, but both saying some things that probably need to be said. Things like:

“Let not your hearts be troubled.”

“Go ye therefore into all the world and preach the Gospel.”

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with Love.”

“Finally brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

And perhaps the most relatable for me…

“Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.”

The list could go on…

But simply said, I pray that whatever good was accomplished through our journey together (gold, silver, costly stone) would remain and flourish and whatever was of man (wood, hay or stubble) may it be burned away, forgotten and vanish. The ultimate test of a ministry is the fruit which remains and so my prayer is that which was of the Lord be forever established in each of your hearts and lives.

Some have naturally inquired and wondered what exactly the Baird’s will be doing in the future. I know we have shared with numbers of you informally, but let me put some organization to it. Let me say first, which you have heard me say on multiple occasions, “Never say Never”. We have some ideas and plans about our future and I have even sketched out some vision, but I can say that the Baird household holds every plan loosely and is committed rigidly ONLY to the Will of God as we understand and apprehend it. This has been our rudder for over 35 years.

I have said NEVER on several occasions only to find out like Jonah who said he would NEVER go to Nineveh, that the word NEVER tends to sound like a challenge to the Almighty, Who will rightly zero in on that declaration and then call you to do His Will, not your plan.

I said I would NEVER preach…yet I was called to it.
I said I would NEVER be a staff pastor…yet I spent 10 years as one.
I said I would NEVER plant a church…yet I planted this one.
I said I would NEVER be a teacher…yet I am standing in classrooms in universities.
I said I would NEVER leave Charleston…yet that will undoubtedly be a part of my future.
God has always challenged my NEVER’S (So I am declaring today that I will NEVER be a millionaire).

But in all seriousness, most of you know that these last years the calling and anointing on my life has been more pronounced in areas outside of conventional pastoring. I will not say that I will NEVER pastor again, for perhaps there is something God sees that I simply cannot see at the moment, but the immediate plan as best as we can apprehend it is to move in another direction. I am excited about being able to focus on what I feel passionate about and released from what I feel so exhausted. I am aware in the era and climate that I minister, to no longer officially be a “pastor” might disqualify me in some leaders minds to input their congregations. I have heard as much on occasion. Yet I take heart that Paul was never tied down to only ONE local church at any time and his preaching and leadership helped so many along the way. If I could be only a small percentage as effective as he was, the faith step will be well worth it.

This new season for the Baird’s would include….

1. Renewing and releasing the fresh call of the prophetic on our lives to the Body of Christ in America and globally…

(As many of you know, there has always been the call of the “prophet” in my life. From the very inception into the ministry, to the controversy I faced at Oakland First Church of the Nazarene, to ultimately being ordained, so to speak, by a nationally known prophet in 1991 to this unique office. It is time I trusted God and simply embraced and agreed with what He has created me to be.)

2. Teaching and training aspiring ministers…

(Perhaps in the mold of Elijah who created a school for the prophets and prophetic ministry)

3. Preaching, teaching, and ministering at men’s and women’s conferences and pastors’ gatherings…

(We both are hoping to be able to download leaders in Christ’s church and potentially help the church in understanding Christian marriage and family. We are headed to 37 years married and our children have blessed us by their obedience to the Lord, so perhaps there are some things we can share to others that might help them.)

4. Ministering to and working with pastors, leaders and local churches in sharing some 35 years of incredible lessons, pastoral insights, and wisdom…

(The local church is still the epicenter of God’s work in a city. I think I have some thoughts on how that can be effective.)

5. Encouraging and challenging God’s people and the local church through writing and speaking…

(Yes, I am going to get that book/books written)

We obviously are believing God for open doors to churches and conferences. He has already begun to do that and that is encouraging (Our first 2 meetings are at an Hispanic Church which I will be translated and then off to Hawaii. How exciting is that?). We decided that it is time for a faith walk again and until we let go of this assignment, the next assignment will not come in fulness. Our hope is also that we might get to partner with pastors of smaller works as well as pastors in foreign nations, who may not have the resources for a guest minister or prophetic input, but could be incredibly helped and blessed with some outside encouragement and Word. This would mean that the resources we would need to travel and live would (in all likelihood) have to come from beyond the honorariums we might receive at a meeting or conference. So, I will begin to sensitively solicit my network of friends and churches to consider some form of financial partnering with Legacy Christian Ministries to help us reach that goal. We are becoming in some ways, “missionaries” to our own nation (and others) as well as developing a resource chest for blessing smaller church works and pastors working in obscurity. There are 360,000 churches in America and less than 1% run over 1,000 people and less than 20% run over 300. That means 80% of churches have 300 or less people (the average church in America is 70). How are these works strengthened unless we break out of celebrity Christianity and find ways to help them. We would like to do that if God would help us develop a way to offer that free for many of them.

Honestly, the Lord has refreshed my vision for a future location that can do podcasts, videos, on-site training, resourcing for pastors and Christian leaders in the area of reformation and revival. I would love to create a Biblical Worldview think tank where pastors and Christian leaders can strategize cultural reformation tactics from an explicitly biblical angle. Initially that will flow out of my residence, but I can see something much larger in its scope. Where that location may be is yet to be decided and the details yet to be ironed out, but I can feel the embers of the prophetic call beginning to enflame again, so I receive that as the inner witness of the Holy Spirit moving me in that direction. How that would get financed, God only knows? It seems impossible at the moment. But the Lord is the God of the impossible. (If you would like to know more about that and possibly be a partner with us in resourcing that vision, I can get you that information and how you might partner with us to that end. I have a sheet for you to sign that will give me your updated email address and I would love to stay in contact if that is your desire.).

Our house is currently on the market, although we have no idea as to when it might sell. After selling 7 houses in our lifetime, we understand the providence of God in these matters. So until that time, we will still be in the Charleston area living and traveling from this city. We are planning upon the sale of our house to move to Jacksonville, FL., where our kids and grandson are located in order to help them navigate life and ministry as well as have them help us watch Poogan when we travel. (Poogan is aging and Florida seems right for his retirement years.) The plane ticket out of JAX is also less expensive so it seems to make sense for us to be there for a number of reasons. But again, is it our last stop? I don’t know, but it is a sensible stop for the time being.

WHAT ARE MY LAST EXHORTATIONS TO YOU?

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Don’t back up, back peddle, grow cold, or give up. Give the Lord the best you are and the best you have. The older I get and the closer I get to eternity makes my resolve increase. I have watched too many friend’s lives fall in ditches and crash. Ultimately, no matter what they may say as to the reason for the crash, the fact remains, they lost their love for the Lord. You don’t betray things you love.

2. Plant in a local church.

Don’t be a “tumbleweed” Christian who gets blown about from place to place because you have no roots. Tumbleweed is brittle and dead because it can’t plant. Be a Christian who is like the tree planted by the waters, so when the winds and adversity blow, your roots are well established and you can weather the storm. I’ll say it again, you cannot be a part of the Universal Church unless you are attached to a local church.

3. Support your Pastor with your words, your service, and your resources.

Really, you should be seeking the Lord as to who your next pastor should be. When God has pointed that out, I suspect he will be less imperfect than I so it should be so much easier to love him and serve the vision he carries. Be loyal. Believe the best. Fight for the man of God. Be generous with your finances. Tithe to that church as unto the Lord. Be faithful in your attendance to the House of God. Don’t let the spirit of this age infect your life or home.

4. This is a chance for a brand new start, make the most of it.

There are few times in life that we are afforded a true “do over”. This may be one for you. We all need “do-overs” and when you get one, make the most of it.

Now as we conclude, I want to pray for you all and pronounce the final blessing:

I Thessalonians 5:23-25

May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us.