Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Show Notes: Seven Questions With Pastor Doug Walker
Summary: In this episode, I interview Pastor Doug Walker. Doug is the Founding and Senior Pastor of Fellowship of the Parks in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. FOTP is an incredible church with campuses in Grapevine, Haslet, Justin, and in the Keller/North Fort Worth area.
He is a graduate of Carson Newman College and Southwestern Seminary. He is also author of the book “Things Were Better Before You Came – A Story of Adoption, Acceptance and Unconditional Love.”
Doug has 3 sons and has been married to Kim for the last 29 years. He is a long time friend and has always been a great encouragement to me, and it’s an honor to have him on the show today.
Fellowship of the Parks
https://fotp.church/
TODAY’S SHOW IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
The Ministry Backpack Patreon Page
Some Highlights and Links From Today’s Show:
“We’re very involved in the community, but as far as the ‘attractional’ element (of outreach events), I shifted things, where we were going to do whatever we could to bring people on Sunday morning, not an event at a different location and a different time.”
What he would do differently:
He would find a tool like he uses now (Culture Index) to help get people into the right areas of ministry, knowing that they are “wired” to do well in those areas.
He would have done a better job of raisng financial support and talking about finances in the early days, rather than being awkward and apologetic about discussing these topics. He feels it caused him to “sell short” the vision for what they were doing as a church.
“I had a lot of zeal, but not a lot of sense.” 🙂
Resources Doug Is Currently Using:
Culture Index
https://www.cindexinc.com/
Church Teams [Church Management Software]
https://go.churchteams.com/
All of Larry Osborne’s Books:
https://northcoasttraining.org/shop/
Advice and Insights From Pastor Steve Stroope
https://www.lakepointe.org/meetourleaders/
Doug uses a team approach to preparing message sermons and series.
A Few More Thoughts From Doug:
“You have to be a good communicator, but the Holy Spirit can use other people to help you with the content.”
“I lead first, and preach second.”
“Speaking on the weekends – that’s like the icing on the cake. Everything you do before that – leading and so forth – that paves the way, and builds your credibility to have that privilege.”
“Leading strategically is a priority. That’s not to diminish the Gospel or my calling, I just think that’s just a part of it.”
“I’m a believer in studying ‘best practices.'”
On Keeping His Family Relationships Strong:
“You have to do what works for your family.”
“For me, it means putting into practice that you love and will listen and make concessions to people. My wife, my kids – I’ve got three boys – they’ve all got far different personalities. So it’s not just loving them, but giving them grace and the freedom to be who they are. What keeps us together is just a commitment to love, and a hope and belief that we’ll get through it – whatever it is.”
- One of his sons is adopted, and Doug is passionate about adoption and orphan care.
[https://fotp.church/simplylove/]
Doug’s Book:
(If you come to Fellowship of the Parks’ Starting Point Class, Doug will give you a copy. Also, if you are a Church Planter, contact him and mention that you heard about the book on the Ministry Backpack Podcast, and Doug will send you a free copy. DougWalker@FOTP.Church)
- Another of Doug’s sons has struggled with substance abuse for years.
“I never thought that one of my biggest challenges would be parenting.”
What he would say to other Pastors who are struggling with a family member who has these challenges:
“You can never lose hope. There have been times that I’ve felt hopeless, but I never ultimately lost hope.”
“The main thing I would say is to talk to somebody. Find somebody that you can trust, who has experienced what you are experiencing, who can show true empathy and pray with you.”
Join the conversation on this topic by commenting or leaving questions below. If you have a question that you’d like to have heard on the podcast, record your question, and upload it to Google Drive, Dropbox, Box or some other cloud based site and send the link to Hello@MinistryBackpack.com
Music Provided by “Artist Unknown” – https://artistunknown.bandcamp.com/
& “Rasputin1963”
