G. BRIAN STONE

G. BRIAN STONE
2910 Silverbit Trail Ln. • Katy, TX 77450 • Cell: 832-967-8914 • Email: stonegbrian@yahoo.com • DOB 8/6/1973
Brian and Holly Stone with Julia and Sam LIFE M I N I S T R Y M I S S I O N My mission is to spread the gospel and the glory of God by making disciples of Jesus Christ and inspiring missional living. Through preaching, shepherding, and relational evangelism, my goal is to equip and encourage people to become fully committed followers of Christ as they live fully alive and satisfied in Him. I long to meet people where they are, inviting them to see Christ’s love and to experience His life changing grace. I love to pour into believers, training them to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ and to live on mission for God as they find their unique part in His story. My passion in preaching is to clearly, passionately, and with practical relevance proclaim the inspired Word of God. I believe the local church is the primary vehicle God has chosen to bring about His purposes in the world. I desire to use my gifts of teaching, shepherding, and leadership to preach the Word, provide vision and leadership to the church, to love and disciple the staff, and to shepherd and mobilize the congregation to fully become all that God is calling us to be. F O R M A L E D U C A T I O N Doctoral: Graduate: SOUTHWESTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 2010 – Present Doctorate of Ministry -­‐ Concentration: Pastoral Leadership DALLAS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 2003 -­‐ Master of Arts in Christian Education, Master of Arts in Biblical Studies TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY – SAN MARCOS 2000 -­‐ Bachelor of Arts in Sociology Minor: Mass Communication Undergraduate: M I N I S T R Y E X P E R I E N C E Kingsland Baptist Church, Katy, TX. July 2008 – Present 3,000 in weekly attendance Generations and Teaching Pastor • Preaching, teaching, and leadership training responsibilities • Serve on the Executive Leadership Team • Oversee Discipleship Process o Adult Education § Sunday School, Wednesday Night programming, Men’s, Women’s, Singles and Senior Adult ministries, and Counsel and Care ministry o Generational Ministries § Family Ministry (connecting church and home) § Student, Children, Pre-­‐school o Prayer Ministry o Assimilation Process o Staff Development • Evangelism and Mission o Personal Missions: My wife and I personally support missionaries or ministries in Texas, Virginia, Bolivia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, India, and Africa. o Local Missions: Generation One (3rd Ward inner city ministry), Justice Team, Redeemd Ministries (safe house and steering committee for Houston). o Global Missions: I have led college students in Mexico and China, singles in Kolkata, India, and adult teaching teams in Bangladesh (Dhaka, Chittagong, and Cox’s Bazar), and Egypt (Cairo and Helwan). Countryside Baptist Church, Stillwater, OK, July 2005 – 2008 College Pastor Union Gospel Mission (homeless shelter), 2003 – 2005 Chaplain Fellowship Church Grapevine, 2000 – 2001 DTS Internship as Senior High Youth Coordinator ONLINE SERMON VIDEOS I have provided links on the following page to several online sermons. Sermon DVD’s are available upon request. Short clips are also available on my YouTube channel, including a brief version of my personal testimony and videos of mission trips. • 12/28/2014 – Jesus is Supreme (https://vimeo.com/115573377) •
11/23/2014 – Lasting Love (https://vimeo.com/112710295) •
2/16/2014 -­‐ The Beauty of the Lord’s Supper (https://vimeo.com/86934350) •
12/23/2012 – Living Out The Incarnation of Christ (https://vimeo.com/56268824) •
11/25/2012 – Rise to Impact (https://vimeo.com/54304212) •
11/11/2012 – Rise to Live Well (https://vimeo.com/53342075) •
9/16/2012 -­‐ The Cross and Salvation (https://vimeo.com/49764669) •
5/01/2012 – Celebration Service of Dedication and Purification (https://vimeo.com/41365267) •
1/29/2012 -­‐ God Answers Nehemiah’s Prayer (https://vimeo.com/35907889) •
7/10/11 -­‐ 2 John (https://vimeo.com/31082776) •
6/05/11 -­‐ Philemon (https://vimeo.com/28151412) PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY I believe the ministry of the local church should serve two primary roles: to lovingly gather (John 13:35; Heb. 10:25) and intentionally scatter (Matt. 28:18-­‐20; Acts 1:8), both expressions of our greatest purpose to love God and love people (Mark 12:29-­‐31). Believers gather for worship and training. We worship together and are trained to study, know, and apply the principals of Scripture (Ezra 7:10; 2 Tim. 3:16), to use our spiritual gifts (Eph. 4:11-­‐12), and to minister to one another in love (1 Co. 12:12-­‐27; 2 Tim. 2:2). I believe the church’s philosophy of ministry should model the strategy of God through the incarnation (Phil 2:5-­‐11). Believers imitate Christ’s coming to earth by scattering into the community with a focus on being the light in dark places; being intentional about a lifestyle of evangelism and service. We evangelize through intentionally sharing our life with the people God places in our path (Mk. 16:15). We serve by using our gifts, talents, and abilities to minister to the needs of all people (1 Pt. 4:10). Further I believe ministry and spiritual formation begin in the home with the parents serving as the primary faith trainer (Duet. 6:4-­‐9). It is the church’s responsibility to encourage and equip parents to succeed at this task (Eph. 4:12). Secondly, it is the believer’s responsibility to invest in those outside their home, reaching those who have no primary faith trainer or adults who would otherwise not be discipled toward maturity (2 Tim. 2:2; Titus 2:1-­‐8). From children to students, from singles to parents, and from empty nesters to senior adults the church should fully incorporate the entire body into the strategy of making disciples in a relevant and meaningful way.
P H I L O S O P H Y OF PREACHING I believe God’s truth changes people’s lives (John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:16). When I teach, my goal is to present the truths of Scripture accurately, clearly, and with practical relevance that meets people in their daily life (2 Tim. 2:15). While seeking to explain the books and topics of Scripture in a thought-­‐by-­‐thought format, my goal is to maintain the historical context while bridging the cultural gap and edifying the church with relevance, passion, and practical meaning and application. I do this through both topical series and walking through books of the Bible.
L E A D E R S H I P S T Y L E According to the DiSC Personal profile evaluation, I am an inspirational leader that is results oriented. In my experience as a leader I strive to focus on serving others and resourcing them for effectiveness and success (Mk. 10:43-­‐45). I use my gifts of teaching and leadership to disciple those serving with me and train them to succeed in their given context. I am not a dictator or micro-­‐manager in my leadership. As I lead I seek to find the consensus of those who are most knowledgeable, experienced, or most closely involved and implement their wisdom according to our biblical philosophy and goals. I lead best while working with others. I enjoy building a team of dedicated people eager to perfect what is working, change what is not, and who are open to the best way to accomplish our mission. S P I R I T U A L G I F T S • Pastor-­‐teacher • Leadership • Teaching
P E R S O N A L B A C K G R O U N D Childhood I grew up in west Houston. My family did not attend church, my parents were divorced when I was young, and I made many bad choices that resulted in drug abuse, fighting, running away, and dropping out of High School in the 10th grade. Conversion: I was 19 years old when I realized I was heading down the wrong path and needed to change. I quit abusing drugs and hanging out with negative influences. A year passed, but I still felt empty inside. In an effort to become a “good person”, I decided to go to church. It was at Second Baptist Church, Woodway Campus in Houston, TX, that I heard for the very first time that no one can be good enough, but Christ died for us “yet while we were still sinners” (Ro. 5:8) and he who believes in Christ receives eternal life as a free gift (Ro. 4:4-­‐5; Eph. 2:8-­‐9). Several weeks later, I received this gift of eternal life, believing in Christ alone as my Savior. My life was forever changed by His grace. I earned my G.E.D and enrolled in community college. Two years later I transferred to Texas State University – San Marcos, and got involved in campus ministry and the local church. After receiving my bachelor’s degree, I attended Dallas Theological Seminary and earned two master’s degrees in Christian Education and Biblical Studies. I am currently working on my Doctorate of Ministry degree in Pastoral Leadership at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. God has truly transformed my mind and my life! Calling: As I enjoyed spiritual growth in my own life, through the local church and various college ministries, God used me to disciple others as well. After praying and seeking godly counsel I felt God calling me to full-­‐time ministry. I realized that nothing would give me greater purpose than serving Him and others in the context of the local church. Since then my passion and experience with discipleship and a wide range of ages has grown. From youth, to college, to adults I have sought to impact the lives of families. I desire to serve, lead, and work with a staff who are all serving together for the same purpose, to accomplish the same goals, with an all inclusive strategy to reach the entire church, from cradle to grave, in spiritual maturity for the glory of God. Marital Commitment: I met my wife in Stillwater, Oklahoma when I served as the college pastor of Countryside Baptist Church. Holly has always been very active in ministry. She is not only my partner in life, but also a partner in ministry. We were married on Oct. 14, 2007 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Both Holly and I are fully committed to our marriage. We understand that our commitment is to God and we have promised to love and respect one another out of our love for Him, love for one another, and in respect of His Word (Eph. 5:33). We are committed to growing as a couple and glorifying God through our marriage. About my Wife: Holly was born in Buffalo, Oklahoma. She attended Oklahoma State University but graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1998 with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in physical therapy. Holly genuinely has a gentle, quiet spirit and her love for God overflows into the way she loves others. She has a heart to know God and His Word as she seeks to continually grow into the image of Christ. Her spiritual gifts include service, giving, and leading. We love serving God together as He uses our ministry and marriage to encourage others. About my family: Holly and I had our first child on December 31, 2010. Julia Grace is about the most amazing thing I had ever experienced in my life. Then on May 11, 2011 our son Samuel “Sam” Walker was born. It is a joy to watch them grow and a great privilege to have been given the responsibility to love and nurture them to love God and to honor Him with their life. I love every minute of it! H O B B I E S A N D I N T E R E S T S Our hobbies and our interests have been transformed since Julia and Sam arrived but when we are not enjoying just being with them, I enjoy reading, watching sports, exercising (including cycling, swimming, running, and strength training), and fishing. I also try to get a round of golf or a pick-­‐up game of soccer in once in a while (I played soccer at Texas State). My wife and I enjoy reading and discussing what we are learning, usually on Sunday evening. This is also when we have our dedicated time of prayer. We strive to pray together daily, even for just a moment. In fact, we have been mentored and encouraged to pray daily, date weekly, retreat often. Holly and I strive for this! REFERENCES Omar Garcia-­‐ Ministry Mentor Missions Pastor, Kingsland Baptist Church Cell: 832-­‐235-­‐4988 Email: ogarcia@kingsland.org Dr. Gregg Marshall -­‐ Personal Mentor since 1998 Chair, Department of Respiratory Care, Texas State University -­‐ San Marcos Cell: 830-­‐305-­‐4608 Email: sm10@txstate.edu Joe Weaver – Chairman of Elders, Countryside Baptist Church Vice President for Administration and Finance, Oklahoma State University Cell: 405-­‐780-­‐0633 Email: joe.weaver@okstate.edu Gil Harris – Personal Friend and Mentor Business Owner and Director of Men’s Min. Cell: 281-­‐543-­‐8785 Email: teamgant@aol.com More references available upon request