An Interview with Tommy Green

Dr. Green is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Brandon, Florida, and has served as President of the Florida Baptist Convention and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Southern Seminary.

SBC Today: What do you think are the greatest challenges confronting the SBC?

Tommy Green: The challenges of the Southern Baptist Convention are in the area of unity and clarity. Our unity has been fostered through cooperation of our churches in world evangelization. This methodology has been weakened through a move toward societal missions that reduces the resources for our total mission endeavors as a Convention. We were challenged at the last Southern Baptist Convention to adopt an unreached people group, plant a church, and increase our Cooperative Program monies in the local church. Each challenge is worthy and needful, but a unified approach by our denominational agencies would enable the churches to determine the priority for our Convention. Unity and clarity would position us to be on the same page working together to accomplish the high calling of the Gospel for the nations. The Conservative Resurgence rendered unity and clarity in the theological realm for our Convention and we were able to move forward. This generation seeks an authentic and genuine focus and will respond to a clear and unified message that is Christ centered and that propels us to world evangelization.  The challenge will be keeping the main thing the main thing and that is the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.

SBC Today: What do you see as the greatest opportunities opening to the SBC?

Tommy Green: The opportunities for the Gospel of Jesus Christ are greater than at any other time in history. We have the resources, accessibility, and opportunity to impact our world on a local and global level. The economic downturn is not a deterrent to our task but a powerful moment for God’s people to demonstrate His faithfulness through His people. The Book of Acts records the obedience of the Apostles and the early church and the 30 years that changed the world. Our generation is uniquely poised to impact and influence our world and we can accomplish this work, if we respond to the call. We can be the ones turning the world upside down through obedience to the Lord. The fields are ripe unto the harvest and we are presented with the opportunity to be laborers in the harvest of souls for the Lord Jesus Christ.

SBC Today: What are your thoughts about a possible SBC name change?

Tommy Green: I support the concept of examining and proposing a name change for the SBC. My support is based on the global expanse of the ministry of our denomination and that a name would reflect the mission of our Convention. Global Baptists would maintain our identity as Baptists and reflect the scope of our ministry together in Christ.

SBC Today: What is the key to being a faithful/effective/successful pastor?

Tommy Green: The work of the pastor is filled with tremendous challenges and leading a congregation requires Godly wisdom. The pastor should maintain the focus of relationships in his ministry. The relationship with the Lord, his family, and his congregation establishes the priority of fulfilling the call that God has placed on your life. Building strong relationships enables others to see your heart that burns deeply for the Lord. The process of being the preacher, pastor, and leader requires investment, time, and experiences that grow out of relationships that you are privileged to share as a pastor. You must seek God’s word and will for your setting and commit your life to that place, people, and purpose.

SBC Today: What is one key mistake that you see pastors and/or church staff members making that causes them problems in their churches?

Tommy Green: The key mistakes are making changes too fast, not bringing people along with you, and becoming a CEO rather than a shepherd of your flock.

SBC Today: Who are two or three of our “heroes in ministry?”

Tommy Green: My heroes in ministry are my father who modeled godliness before me and reared me in a Christian home. Dr. Chuck Kelley who allowed me to grade for him during my doctoral studies and he has been a mentor and friend to me in my ministry. Dr. John Sullivan has taught me leadership and organizational skills by example which I implement in my ministry. I have been inspired by many faithful pastors who have remained true to their calling and led churches to amazing accomplishments in ministry.

SBC Today: What is the toughest lesson you have learned in ministry?

Tommy Green: The tough lesson is being a high expectation pastor who had to learn patience to move a church from low expectations to higher expectations. This process requires time, love, persistence, encouragement and facing the obstacles with grace.

SBC Today: What is your approach to preaching?

Tommy Green: I advocate planning your preaching and preaching through a book of the Bible. The expository approach to preaching causes you to be disciplined in your study of the Scriptures. The time that you spend in advance planning your sermons for the following year reaps tremendous benefits in your ministry and God will lead you in this planning process. Preaching through a book of the Bible, word by word, phrase by phrase, verse by verse, establishes a depth in your proclamation that enables people to grow through the preaching of the Word.

SBC Today: How do you help your congregation focus on missions?

Tommy Green: Missions changed my approach to ministry and helped change the heart of our church. We celebrate missions through giving. We give 10% of our undesignated receipts to the Cooperative Program, support the different mission emphases of our denomination, and support local mission work through our giving. Our church gives in a generous fashion to missions beyond our campus.  We celebrate missions through going. We are consistently sending people on short term mission work. The reporting and celebrating of this mission approach inspires our church family. We have people on local, national, and international mission trips throughout the year.

We pray in a specific manner for our missionaries and their prayer needs are kept before our church family. We have a Mission Residence that IMB missionaries on state side assignment can utilize. This ministry enables us to have missionaries in our church on regular basis. The educating our people in the area of missions is an important part of our ministry and we seek to keep our people informed about the work of our missionaries around the world. We are also involved in church planting as a church. Each Sunday at our church we have ministries in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and the Deaf language being expressed on our campus.

SBC Today: How do you balance ministry and family responsibilities?

Tommy Green: Karen and I are a different season in life with our children grown and out of the home. We have been blessed with grandchildren and they are a joy in our life. We attempt to balance time with our children each week. The time that Karen and I have together has increased because she is now able to participate in ministry events with me and we often go on mission trips together. The balance is easier for me at this point in my life than when our three boys were younger and we were involved in sports and other demands as parents.

SBC Today: What do you do for fun?

Tommy Green: I enjoy running, watching sports, huge Alabama fan (RTR!!), hacking at a golf ball from time to time, and playing with the grandchildren.

SBC Today: Is there anything else you would like to tell us about?

Tommy Green: The privilege of serving as a pastor in a local church is a high and holy calling from the Lord. I am blessed by other pastors and their awesome abilities and creativity in ministry. I learn from others and rejoice in God’s blessings upon their churches. We must be together in the Lord and maintain a kingdom agenda and focus. Our strength is in the Lord and working together for the sake of the Gospel. May God richly bless you in your vineyard of ministry and may we serve believing that we can change the world in Christ from where we are planted.

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