'You will have forever to worship God, but not forever to reach people' - Bob Hulett

Listening to Bob Hulett speak about his ideas on ministry and pastoring a church, I felt, were as unique as they get, but I also felt they were brilliant, and seemed to work well for Bob and his past and (God-willing) future churches..

Bob grew up in a Catholic, ‘very unsaved home.’ It was not until the great charismatic groups of the 70’s that Bob gave his life to the Lord, and then later attended Valley Forge Christian College in the 80’s, graduating in ’84. It is also interesting to note that before Bob was in college, his father, who also lived much of his life apart form the Lord, was called into the ministries and planted a church at the age of fifty.  After graduating from college Bob planted a church in Pennsylvania and in time was called to a particular ailing church in Florida to which he accepted the call and made his way down South to lend a hand, and it would turn out that God, through Hulett, would eventually turn the church around.

When Bob arrived down in Florida at the church he was going to be working with, he came upon what seemed as a very unstructured church. From worship to the service, the lack of structure and focus was truly hurting the church. Bob turned the focus from the intense Sunday morning services, to the unchurched, non-believers. He believed it was these that needed to be spoken into their lives on Sunday mornings, along with everyone else. Bob focused Sunday’s for the unbelievers, and Wednesday night services for extra worship, and for a deeper relationship with God, a sort to of ‘extra service’.  Bob also was strong in praying for the gifts of the Spirit that would be of usefull on Sunday mornings, such as hospitality, servitude, evangelism. God would grow this church from 200 to 900 over six years, but in time doors closed and opened elsewhere and Hulett was called back up North.

Bob came back up North and was faced with the struggles of traveling to a church in NY and working many different jobs. Eventually, more doors would open and would allow Bob to open up a church in PA once again. This church will be connected with a spa to help out with the ‘business,’ financial and outreach of the church.

I found listening to Bob to be very enlightening in the area of focusing one’s services for the unbelievers that come into the church, and also his ideas on have other ‘businesses’ as apart of the church. Although these seemed to have worked extremely well for him, and I feel I could benefit form similar ideas, I can definitely see how they may be challenging to do especially in the different areas of church-people in the country.