Daniel Vestal preaching at
CBF-LA Spring Conference
WHY LOUISIANA BAPTISTS NEED TO KNOW DR. VESTAL
by Kyle Kelley
Baptists don't have a Pope, and if we did, Daniel Vestal wouldn't be the candidate. Present at the founding of CBF and at the helm since 1996, Dr. Vestal has worn many hats, though never an ecclesiastical crown. He speaks with a quiet authority that comes from listening to others and participating with them in disciplined, prayerful discernment.
It is not enough to say what we are against: narrow mindedness, small-hearted-ness, etc. Those who have heard Vestal speak at our national gatherings know how he has persistently pushed for a positive vision. "We're a Jesus people, we follow Jesus," he tells us. We are to imitate Jesus, be the presence of Christ, align ourselves with His Kingdom. It's not always as simple as you might think.
As coordinator, he is both administrator and the one in charge of "the vision thing." He would be the first to say he cannot speak for all of us on every issue. Part of the CBF experience is diversity and respecting the different traditions of Christian faith, (much less different ways of being Baptist) and the myriad means by which God speaks to us. We have freedom in Christ, but it is a freedom to be servants.
No matter what title you give Dr. Vestal, you're not around him long before you realize he is a Pastor. As Pastor, he is about calling out our gifts as individuals and churches, developing those gifts in the grace God bestows, and using them in the joy of obedience. He's a Preacher too, who proclaims the whole Gospel. We are called to be equally serious about evangelism and meeting concrete human needs even if that means speaking truth to power like the prophets of old who railed it's time to get our personal and our corporate houses in order.
If leading Baptists is like trying to herd cats, then I commend to you a pretty good cat herder, "Pastor Dan."
Check out his columns known as "Vestal on Line."