Five Questions for Glenn Rice
Interviewed by Justin Nash
Glenn has walked with Jesus from his childhood, growing up in a Christian home with a heritage of faith spanning several generations. He was called to pastoral ministry while a student at Berkshire Christian College, where he met his future wife, Cindy (Schaeffner) Rice. The couple was married after graduation in 1981 and have served churches in Meredith, New Hampshire; Bangor, Maine; and Oxford, Massachusetts, where they have served since 1996. Glenn and Cindy have three married sons in Advent Christian ministry — Joshua and Sarah (Rochester, N.H.), Andrew and Carrie (Pittsfield, Mass.), and Matthew and Jessica (Four Oaks, N.C.) — and they are the proud grandparents of seven grandsons and two granddaughters. Glenn earned a Doctor of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and has served as the president of Berkshire Christian since early 2017. He has served denominationally as a conference and regional president, and as interim president of ACGC.
What's the one big thing you got right in ministry?
GR: That’s a difficult question. I am quite certain that in 40 years of pastoral ministry, there have been many more things I have gotten wrong than right. If there is anything that I have tried to do consistently, it is to listen to the Lord as carefully as possible and be faithful to obey his voice. This is especially true in areas of ministry service, whether considering pastoral changes or acceptance of ministry positions in denominational work. There have been opportunities to serve in different places and positions, but not all of them have been the Lord’s leading or his timing. I am a proponent of both the leading of the Lord and the Lord’s timing when it comes to discerning his will. Sometimes we can get one right and the other wrong, which has greater or lesser consequences depending on the nature of the decision we are making. I hope that when people assess my life and ministry, my desire to be faithful to know and do the Lord’s will is what stands out most. It doesn’t mean that I have always done his will. I certainly have failed many times over in that regard. As I look back I believe I have been faithful to the Lord’s call to serve him where and how he has desired. If that is true, then I believe that is the one big thing I have gotten right.
I thank the Lord for his transforming power in my life. I only wish I had walked more deeply with Jesus early in ministry. This would have been of greater help to me serving Christ in the strength and power of his Spirit. I believe I would have looked at people and situations differently than I did.
What's the one big thing you got wrong in ministry?
GR: Two things come to mind. Putting ministry ahead of my relationship with Christ, and placing ministry above the needs of my family. Ministry springs forth out of one’s relationship with Jesus. I wish I had been better taught the ways to cultivate a deeper relationship with Christ and had been encouraged to prioritize and minister out of that relationship. I can honestly say that I have ministered more in my own strength and giftedness rather in weakness and dependency on Christ. I believe this has changed for the better as I have matured in Christ, but I would have been better prepared for ministry service by being taught what it means to know Jesus intimately and to live by the Spirit. The critical missing element for me has been the importance of understanding how it is possible to attain mature manhood and the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. I thank the Lord for his transforming power in my life. I only wish I had walked more deeply with Jesus early in ministry. This would have been of greater help to me serving Christ in the strength and power of his Spirit. I believe I would have looked at people and situations differently than I did. As to placing ministry above the needs of my family, I did not guard my time as well as I should have, spending far too many nights out in meetings or visitation. Thinking I was doing the Lord’s work was no substitute for investing in my relationship with my wife and children. Taking a regular day off consistently and guarding family time is something I wished I had done better.
What brings you the most joy in ministry?
GR: I am a task-oriented person and find great joy in the successful accomplishment of goals and objectives. I have realized, however, that ministry is really about God’s work in the lives of his people. But that is more difficult for me because it isn’t easily accomplished nor does it bring the immediate success I desire to see. I am learning to find greater joy in seeing God work in the lives of his people and leaving the results to him. I still enjoy the completion of task because that gives me more immediate satisfaction, but the greater joy I have comes from seeing Christ formed in the lives of men and women I am privileged to know and serve. To see a life headed for destruction rescued and restored to a right relationship with Christ is far greater than accomplishing many tasks. I only wish it would happen more frequently than it does, but I am learning to leave that with God also.
What piece of advice would you give to your 25-year-old self?
GR: I would tell myself that I do not have the ability to control things as much as I think I do, so stop trying! I am not responsible for the results – only for what God has called me to do and for my use of the wisdom, gifts and talents God has entrusted to me for doing his work. I would also say to be faithful to God where he has called me for as long as He calls me and stay where I am until he leads me elsewhere. I would try to emphasize to myself that time goes by much more quickly than I think it will, so I need to have God’s eternal perspective and not get caught up in the moments when I can say or do something that can negatively impact the eternal for the sake of the momentary.
What is the one thing you wish you were better at as a pastor or leader?
GR: I would wish to be a much better listener in the day-today experiences of life and ministry. I sometimes hear just enough to address a situation or formulate a plan of action, but things don’t always need to be fixed right away. Sometimes people just need to be heard. Sometimes situations need to be pondered. Jesus listened to people in a way that he heard and saw their hearts. He was often reflective before he was responsive. I need to do that better. I need to slow down and shut up. I need to hear with the ears of my spirit. I need to have a heart of flesh, not of stone, that I may gain a heart of wisdom. By learning to listen to others better, I become a better listener of God. Listening makes me a better pastor and leader. Rather than rushing in to rescue, fix, or change things, I can move in response to what I hear God speaking and doing, rather than responding my way based on what I think I’ve heard. As with other things I’ve shared here, I am still learning how to do this. God has more to teach me and I’m grateful he is patient with me in the process.
Justin Nash, “Five Questions for Glenn Rice” The Witness, Summer 2021