First Baptist interim pastor recalls his road to the ministry

Friday, January 5, 2007

The Rev. Bob Turner, interim pastor at Fort Scott's First Baptist Church, 123 Scott St., said as a young boy, he was not religious and had no intentions of ever becoming involved in church.

Turner, 68, who is currently filling the vacancy in the church's pastorate left at the departure of the Rev. Duane McCracken, described his teenage years as "rough" and said, "I was what you could call a rebel." He added that he took up smoking at age five and was addicted by age six.

"I lived with that addiction for a long time," he said. "I tried to quit many times, but I just couldn't."

However, Turner, who grew up in Wisconsin, was forever changed during his junior year of high school.

"I went on a date with a young lady," he said. "We went to the state fair in Milwaukee. While we were sitting down, she turned and asked me if I was a Christian. Boy, that cut me like a knife. I looked at her and said, 'No, I'm not a Christian,' and we left it at that. She was a nice girl and she didn't say anything else about it.

"That night, I was lying in bed, reflecting on our date. That question came back to me about whether I was a Christian. I didn't know much about praying, but I said -- not even out loud, just in my heart -- 'God, if you are who you say you are, I sure wish you would somehow tell me.' And let me tell you, the response blew me away. When I woke up that next day, I never had the desire to smoke again."

Turner said that one answered prayer helped rid him of his smoking addiction and led him to become a Christian.

"I thought, 'If God is this great, I gotta get to know Him better'," he said.

After graduating from high school, Turner attended Bible college in Minneapolis, Minn. He later joined the ministry and spent 30 years as a pastor in several states before retiring last August.

After retiring, though, Turner began to miss working, and his previous ties to Fort Scott led him to accept the temporary pastorate position at First Baptist Church.

"I thought I'd be a man of leisure," he said, "but once I was out of the pulpit, I thought I was going to go crazy. So I called the head office in Topeka to ask them if there was anything I could do. They said, 'Yes, we actually have an opening in Fort Scott, Kan.'"

Turner, who taught truck driving classes at Fort Scott Community College in the late 1970s, said he was excited to return to the area.

"I thought, 'I'm familiar with that place. I think I'd like that,'" he said.

Turner said he does not desire to become the new full-time pastor, and added that he is not sure how long it will take for the church to find a long-term pastor.

"When I first started this job, they told me to expect to be here one to two years," he said. "I was surprised, because I didn't think it would be that long, and honestly, I don't think it will take that long. They are moving right along in the process. They are interviewing prospects."

Turner said he has no involvement in the search for a full-time pastor. Instead, his role as interim pastor is to help with the transition between ministers.

"My job is to help prepare them for a full-time pastor," he said. "I try to get them to think about where they want to go in the future, in terms of the person they want to hire."

The opening at First Baptist Church occurred when McCracken, who served the church for nine years, accepted a job as pastor at the First Baptist Church in Basehor. Turner said his style of preaching is different than that of his popular predecessor.

"Duane was more of a hands-on guy," Turner said. "He was a very dynamic leader. My way of doing things is putting the leadership in the hands of the people. I give direction as they ask for it. I try not to force my opinions or ideas on anyone."

Turner, who said he really likes the people in Fort Scott, said he is enjoying his time at interim pastor.

"I'm having a ball doing it," he said.

Turner has served as pastor in various cities in Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

His home is in Salina with his wife of 38 years, Christina, and three of his eight children.