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 five (soon to be six) 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
In our last director’s letter we dealt with the need to keep our ministries on focus toward the goal of “perfecting the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ....” Let me add an additional thought with respect to this challenge. Not only will be local church workers come from the ranks of our church ministry, but so will the workers that we send out to the broader harvest field.
At the present time there a declining num-ber of missionaries are going to the foreign field. With the post-WWII generation aging and retiring ,that trend will continue. Where will the next generation of pastors, evangel-ists, missionaries and Christian workers come from? A part of our ministry as a local church is to challenge our youth to make Christian ministry a viable option in their consideration of the will of God.
A number of years ago we had a special speaker in our church whose had the idea that every young man who was born again should consider the ministry. If fact, he said, “they should assume that God was calling them until he closed the door.” While I am not suggesting that every young person belongs in full time service for the Lord, it seems more of them should be seriously looking at Christian ministry.
I think we need to work a little harder at challenging our youth for ministry. We can do that by starting a “preacher boy class” for young men and challenge young ladies to look at their ministry options. Also we should take our young people to the mission, the jail, the rest home and immerse them in ministry. When I was in high school and new believer, a godly deacon in my church involved me in these areas of ministry, and I believe it was a key factor in my eventual surrender to full time Christian service. “Perfecting the saints” means preparing them for ministry.
-Dr. Wayne Vawter
WFBC Missions Director