Dan Carlton was called to serve as pastor at Culpeper Baptist in August 2014. Dan has a passion for seeing legacy churches continue to grow and connect with the surrounding community, while maintaining traditional values and relevant ministries. Culpeper Baptist Church was birthed in 1774 in the soil of religious liberty by its first pastor Nathaniel Saunders, who was imprisoned in the Culpeper Jail and its third pastor, John Leland, who helped establish religious freedom in the Constitution.
It’s no secret that many legacy churches have been struggling for several decades. You know all the reasons for that and the financial implications that has created. The pandemic has heightened anxiety and fears about viability.
One of the biggest challenges for legacy church is budgets and ministries that have been driven by programs, facilities and personnel.
But what if the church actually helped people grieve with hope? As I suggested in my previous article, legacy churches are dealing with continuous grief.
Are legacy churches relevant for today? When we started 2020 that was a common question. Should we just invest resources (people and finances) into new churches and missions?
The biggest mistake I have made in pastoring legacy churches is not understanding the collective grief we are facing.
I have been a pastor for 27 years and have served three churches. Those churches have a combined age of over 470 years!
