Memoir

A Memoir by Pastor Joel Tetreau

New Relationships—The Growing Stage (2005-Present)

Numerical growth has been a blessing. On a few Sundays we’ve been close to 250. For the future we have just recently purchased a 1.5-acre lot to the east of us. That gives us a total of four acres we can develop. We are looking and praying about the future. If the Lord tarries and provides, we see the addition of an auditorium, an additional education building, a large outdoor basketball court (you can do that in Arizona), an additional child ministry facility, as well as other plant features that will allow us to max out as a congregation around 400. Frankly after that, unless the Lord radically changes our approach and philosophy of ministry, we plan to start new churches and plant them strategically here in the metro Phoenix area.

Here are a few ministry priorities:

Expository Preaching and Teaching

Read Part 1.

A Memoir by Pastor Joel Tetreau

Discomfort with Movements on the “Right” and “Left”

Historically speaking, all churches that are orthodox in their faith and militant about the gospel are in a sense fundamentalist churches. Fundamentalism has been right about many important things over the years. In its struggle with liberalism, it was right about a pure gospel. In its struggle with New Evangelicalism, it was right about the clear gospel. SVBC has an apreciation for its separatist heritage. From the very beginning we have been a bit different than your typical fundamental church. We are excited about historic Fundamentalism as an idea; however, we have not been nor continue to be as equally excited about Fundamentalism as a movement.

Too much modern-day Fundamentalism is riddled with leadership abuse, ecclesiastical politics, schisms over nonessentials, and the problem of equating men’s standards with the doctrines of God. So in a sense we find ourselves between two worlds. On the one hand we are uncomfortable with the main of Evangelicalism (especially New Evangelicalism) with its ecumenicalism and adoption of the world. On the other hand, we are uncomfortable with much of the fundamentalist movement and its propensity toward self-righteousness.

A Memoir by Pastor Joel Tetreau

Note: Several months ago (Sunday, February 8, 2009), the congregation at Southeast Valley Baptist Church (SVBC) here in Gilbert, Arizon, surprised Toni and me for ten years of pastoral ministry. The gifts given and more importantly the love behind the gifts were an incredible blessing for both of us. It has been an incredible emotional journey as I reflect on what the Lord has done over the last decade here in Gilbert. In June, we celebrate ten years of official ministry as a congregation. The ministry here in the East Valley has been a blessing to our family, which includes our three sons, Jonathan Charles, Jeremy Austin, and Joshua James.

In light of our first decade of ministry here, I believe it’s good to reflect on what has happened. This article is kind of an autobiography in four parts, a type of memoir, but more importantly a testimonial to the goodness of God to both our family and the SVBC family.

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