WFBC State Missions Director
Dr. Wayne G. Vawter was born in Bloomington, Illinois into a family of five children. At age 17 through the ministry of Calvary Baptist Church of Normal, IL, he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour.
He graduated from Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Watertown in 1970 and from Central Baptist Theological Seminary at Fourth Baptist Church of Plymouth, Minnesota in 1974. In 1989 he completed the work for the Doctor of Ministries degree and graduated from Trinity Theological Seminary in Newburgh, IN.
His ministries have included assistant pastorates in West Sacramento, California and St. Paul, MN. He has been the senior pastor in four churches; Rock Springs, WY, Plainfield, IL, Portage WI and most recently completing fifteen years in Lake Mills, Wisconsin at Rock Lake Baptist Church.
In September of 2001 he accepted the position as State Missions Director of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Baptist Churches. The WFBC is a statewide fellowship of about 100 independent Baptist churches.
Mrs. (Carole) Vawter is his faithful wife of 30 years and they have five children, all of whom are married, and seven grandchildren. Their children are actively serving the Lord in their local churches in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, and New Mexico. Carole is an accomplished musician and provides special music, offertories and musical support. The Vawters reside in Lebanon, Wisconsin.
Director's Itinerary
Director's Message
What is a shepherd? Spiritual shepherds of the Old Testament included prophets, priests, Levites and even the princes and elders whose job was caring for the spiritual tenor of Israel. Ezekiel speaks of the failure of the spiritual shepherds of Israel to feed the flock, “Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.”
On a more positive note, David claimed the LORD, himself, as his Shepherd in Psalm 23, “The LORD is my shepherd....” A spiritual shepherd is a person charged with the responsibility of keeping God’s people. At the very least, that includes feeding, watering, protecting, guiding and the overall care of “sheep.”
The pastor of the New Testament Church is identified with a shepherd. Even before the formal initiation of the church age, Jesus challenged Peter three times with the responsibility of shepherding the sheep, “feed my lambs...tend my sheep...feed my sheep” (John 21). In his own epistle, Peter would later identify himself as God’s shepherd in I Peter 5:1-4. In keeping with the pattern of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ (vs. 4), Peter gave words of instruction to pastors in his day.
As the under-shepherds of God’s flock, pastors need the skills of the shepherd to care for the people of God. We are entrusted with the souls of believers. Our biblical training may include regimented education, completed degrees and varied fi eld experience, but may still be lacking in pastoral skills. Pastors may have to learn many key shepherding skills “on the job.”
An overview of New Testament passages concerning the ministry of the pastor reveals several descriptive titles of the pastor. Both Peter and Paul refer to “elders,” older, respected men who had risen to a place of honor and position in a local church because of their maturity and experience. Another title for the pastor is “bishop,” the foreman who has the oversight of the work of God. Other titles include “teacher”, “preacher” and “evangelist”, each adding key responsibilities to the work. When all of these areas of responsibility are added to that of pastor/shepherd, they give a full pastoral job description.
-Dr. Wayne Vawter
WFBC Missions Director