I was saddened to hear about the recent passing of Dr. Jim Shaddix. In addition to a family man, he was a pastor, a seminary professor, and a mentor to many. I would dare say he was one of my mentors, even though I only met him once for five minutes.
The ministry of Dr. Shaddix became visible to me during a low point in my life in 2013. I was forced out of my first pastorate just before the four-year mark. Weeks stretched into months as I searched for a new place to serve through an endless supply of resumes. I’m embarrassed to admit it now, but one of those resumes landed at Riverside Baptist Church in Denver, Colorado – a church that Jim Shaddix had just served as pastor and a church that was way beyond my abilities. He went on to teach at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and I was intrigued by a pastor turned professor.
God was gracious and a door opened up for me to serve another church in Kentucky, just a few hours from where we currently lived. As I worked to hone my preaching craft, I came across Dr. Shaddix’s book, Power in the Pulpit, and I devoured it. Years later, I was asked to teach some students of my own through Southeastern Seminary’s extension program, and I was pleased to see that Dr. Shaddix was the principal teacher of that course. I enjoyed previewing his lecture videos before I share them with my class.
In 2023, I was pastoring my current church in Indianapolis, IN and I had the urge to offer my own course in sermon preparation and delivery. I had several men in the church, and two young staff pastors, who were eager for some instruction on preaching. I reached out to Dr. Shaddix by email to ask for his permission to include his materials in the course. Even though I wasn’t student at Southeastern Seminary, and he had never heard of my ministry (I’m sure of it), he sent me the kindest message in return. He gave me his permission as well as an offer to help anyway he could in the days ahead. I was proud to share his note with my Preaching Cohort during our first meeting – a note from a man that I considered as a mentor even though we had never met.
In 2024, the Southern Baptist Convention came to Indianapolis, IN and I was happy to see that Jim Shaddix was on the schedule to preach at the Pastor’s Conference. I don’t always get to listen to the preachers at the conference, but I made it point to be in my seat with my notebook open during his sermon. During a later, I waited in a long line at the Southeastern Seminary booth in the Exhibit Hall to meet him personally. I expressed gratitude for his recent sermon and for the influence of his book. He listened graciously and offered some encouragement. At one point, we were interrupted by another well-known preacher with an urgent message, but Dr. Shaddix finished our brief visit, and I was glad.
Mentoring can come in different ways. Sometimes it comes through a close, personal friendship. Sometimes mentoring a scheduled and structured and sometimes it happens organically. It can even happen from a distance as seasoned models and expert practitioners share their wisdom through all the channels we have today.
Here’s a link to Dr. Jim Shaddix’s obituary: https://www.brightfunerals.com/obituaries/Dr-Jim-L-Shaddix?obId=35207262
