The Co-Pastors
John Lemke
John grew up in Toledo, Ohio and graduated from the University of Toledo with a B.A. in Economics. While living in Pennsylvania, he met his wife Patti, and in 1998 they married. John and Patti have one child, Jace, born June 2003. After working in manufacturing plants in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Oklahoma, John and Patti felt that God was calling them into full time vocational ministry. John has completed his Masters of Divinity degree from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. John enjoys watching football, playing golf and volleyball, and reading about history.
Brian McLaughlin
In addition to preaching and leading with the other co-pastors, Pastor Brian leads the student ministries GLBC (Jr. High through college). Brian grew up in Columbus, Ohio (Go Bucks!) and attended Miami University. It was at Miami that he was saved by God’s grace. After graduation he married his high school sweetheart, Nikki, and moved to Kalamazoo, MI for work in the paper industry. It was through involvement in his local church that Brian felt a desire to attend seminary and serve the Lord as a Pastor. After receiving an M. Div. from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary in Spring 2002, Brian and Nikki moved to Grand Ledge.
Brian and Nikki have three children and enjoys just about anything that involves them. He also loves to read and study. In 2007 he completed a Master of Theology in Systematic Theology at Calvin Theological Seminary. In 2014 he completed his Doctor of Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary.
The Co-Pastor Model
A brief history of co-pastoring at GLBC
For well over 100 years, Grand Ledge Baptist Church functioned with a traditional senior pastor model of ministry. Over the years God blessed us with many wonderful pastors, and we are thankful for each of them. However, over the years we noticed the many burdens that a senior pastor carries. Often these burdens lead to shorter pastoral tenures, which can be extremely difficult on both the pastor and the congregation.
In 2007, we found ourselves without a senior pastor. At that time the two associate pastors, Andrew Ford and Brian McLaughlin, along with a pastoral intern, John Lemke, assumed all of the pastoral responsibilities. During that year, GLBC learned that this "co-pastoring" model of ministry was very beneficial to the pastors and to the congregation. In 2008 the co-pastor model was formalized, with Andrew, Brian, and John, serving as co-pastors.
In 2024, Andrew concluded his 24 years of ministry at GLBC to transition into leadership at Converge Mid-America. Even this transition demonstrated the beauty of the co-pastor model as we were able to celebrate a wonderful pastoral career while seemlessly continuing with our current and future ministry.
Flatter style of ministry
Our co-pastor model is based upon the belief that God has called and gifted multiple people to lead each local congregation. The elders and co-pastors work together to develop the vision and direction of GLBC. They also work together to shepherd the GLBC congregation and reach out into the community.
Preaching and Sermon Prep
Many people ask how we work out the preaching calendar. After prayer consideration of what our community needs from the Word, the co-pastors present their sermon series ideas to the elders for approval. From there, we divide up the text at its natural breaks, see who is available, and finally consider who has desires (if any) for a specific passage.
We work hard on the text together. We study our individual passages, we share notes, and we seek advice on understanding the text as well as delivery. It is not uncommon for us to spend a couple of hours on a Monday discussing unique aspects of the text, an introduction, or an application. It is refreshing and encouraging to study together.
Who does what?
The co-pastors share big picture leadership: vision, planning, and general direction, while each of us have areas of specialty in ministry. These ministry specialties were assigned according to skills, passions, and experience. We share the pulpit, each of us participating in every sermon series.
Mondays at the table
We spend a lot of time planning together, and there is no quick and easy way for us to do this. Mondays are set aside for vision, planning, problem-solving, and ministry issues. Although we do not always agree, we always work towards a consensus on these issues. This requires hard work, humility, and patience. The time on Monday sets the tone for how we lead together, and it has become one of the most important things we do!