Today, we’ll tell you about a pastor who’s been in the pulpit for 54 years.
At a time when the tenures of most pastors are measured in single digits, Lawrence Baldridge is an anomaly, having served Caney Baptist Church in the heart of Appalachia for 54 years.
“It’s been an interesting journey,” the 81-year-old pastor said, recounting stories from his years ministering daily to communities in Kentucky’s mountain region. “Ministry here, I think, is more personal. The people are real. If they like you, they will tell you. If they don’t like you, they will tell you. You have to earn their respect, and that takes time.”
Baldridge has baptized nearly 200 new believers since 1980, when the Kentucky Baptist Convention began keeping records. That’s an impressive number considering the population of Pippa Passes is just shy of 650. But, as Baldridge jokingly points out, his church also draws people from surrounding communities like Booger Branch, Onion Blade, Hemp Patch and Bunion Fork, where he happens to live.
Knott County resident John Short, a former state legislator said, “Lawrence is as good a man as ever pulled a breath. He came here more than a half-century ago and has faithfully ministered to the sick, comforted the grieving and buried the dead. He’s been there for the births of babies, for the weddings of our young men and women, for every major milestone in life. This good man has proven his faithfulness.”
The average tenure of pastors nationally is three to four years.