Greetings! My name is Bill Lollar, originally from the great state of Mississippi, but I have also lived in Nebraska, Michigan, Louisiana, Florida, Wales (UK). My wife and I have been married thirty-six years: we have four grown children and nine grandchildren! Our three daughters live in Pensacola, Florida, within two miles of our current residence and our son lives in Sheffield, England. We have seven grandchildren in Pensacola and two in England. We’re a very international family: my wife and I have an English daughter-in-law, a Welsh son-in-law, and a Mexican son-in-law!
In 1996, I began to think about ways to invest the remaining years of my life as a coach, mentor, trainer, and encourager of others committed to Christian ministry. I was three years into planting my fourth church in Pensacola when the Florida Baptist Convention approached me about working as a part-time “strategist” in the Panhandle; and a year later we found ourselves going through the appointment process to become church planting missionaries with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, serving the Panhandle region of Florida until 2003. During those seven years, I helped establish nearly forty new SBC franchises between Pensacola and Tallahassee.
Unfortunately, top leadership within the Florida Baptist Convention grew increasingly uneasy with those like myself who openly embraced a Reformed soteriology, especially as key SBC pastors jumped on the Calvinist-bashing bandwagon. Although I was hired with full disclosure of my theological position and my active participation within Founders Ministries (a fraternal of Reformed SBC brethren), a series of budget cuts in 2003 gave the Missions Division a legitimate way to eliminate my position. As far as I know, I’m the only missionary in the history of the SBC to be laid off; and I’m the only person to actually lose my job during those Florida budget cuts (the other seven positions were vacant, thus affecting no one’s livelihood).
Grace Church Planting Ministries was established in 2003 and, as a result, I began to receive requests for help literally around the world. Within a year, I was preparing for a major transition to the British culture where three or four generations were unfamiliar with even the basics of the Gospel message. A good example of this: during a field trip to an ancient Anglo-Catholic cathedral, one British teenager asked the tour guide, “Who’s the guy on the wall?” referring to a large crucifix.
Our five years in Wales were challenging and stimulating to say the least. I worked in close partnership with a local Baptist church that was passionately and actively engaged in reaching their community with the Gospel. They were wonderfully supportive of my involvement with a national church planting initiative and they eagerly shared my vision to encourage church planters who needed someone to come alongside them as a coach, mentor, and friend. In May 2009 we made a transition back to the United States, in order to support family members who were going through some vulnerable times.
This blog represents some of my thoughts and reflections on various aspects of a Gospel lifestyle and the truths of Scripture. At the age of fifty-five, I’m still growing in my understanding of the Christian journey. Biblical truth is more important to me than preserving tradition, even if I find it painful to change my thinking and methodology. I’ve always asked the tough questions, even when others would prefer that I simply go along with the status quo. I must warn you: reading this blog may infuriate some, irritate others, stir your curiosity, or make you question my sanity or orthodoxy.
I do not write on behalf of anyone but myself. You may find absolutely nothing of value here: if so, please pray for me and find more suitable reading elsewhere. For those who like what they see, I would invite you to join me and others in good-spirited dialogue concerning the themes concerning which I find myself passionately and irresistibly drawn to consider. Together, we may make progress and enjoy one another’s company in this journey!
