by Mark Milioni
I graduated from BBC in 1988 and returned to my home church to become the youth pastor. Within six months, I was the interim pastor, having lost two of my greatest mentors, my pastor, Barry Jones, and my father, Joe Milioni. It was a tough, lonely time.
During this interim period, the church grew and I reluctantly became the pastor. I quickly ran out of chapel outlines and I did not know what to do, how to lead, or how to preach. I spent a lot of time alone with God and then sought out godly men to help me.
I remembered reading about Truman Dollar in Leadership Journal, so I called him. This began an incredible season of friendship, mentoring, learning, and growing. He insisted I read at least one book per week. He taught me how to study, plan, and truly preach the Bible. He listened to my messages and critiqued me harshly. I learned so much.
Following his tragic death, I reached out to Howard Sugden. He was nearing the end of his ministry at South Baptist Church in Lansing, but he lovingly agreed to help me. Years later, I learned from Paul Dixon, president of Cedarville University. God knew I would need to glean wisdom from this man for my current position.
I have learned to seek a mentor — that special friend, coach, or encourager to help me become better. In our Fellowship, that includes Jim Goodman, Gene Milioni, Jerry Thorpe, and Rick Blue. But I have to be humble enough to seek, willing to accept what is said, and committed to my best effort.
Coaching and mentoring are invaluable for life and ministry. At BBC the life experiences of our faculty and staff are poured into preparing young lives for future service.