BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Daniel Bridgman left his home state of Alabama, but he still feels like he’s at home as the new pastor at Starke’s Cross Church, which holds Sunday morning services at 10:30 a.m. at the Bradford County Fairgrounds.
Bridgman served in various roles at four churches in Alabama. He said he and his wife, Erica, felt that God was calling him to be a lead pastor. Bridgman became aware of Cross Church after searching for churches that were in need of a pastor.
“We sensed this is where God wanted us to be,” Bridgman said.
That was a little over two months ago. Bridgman said he and his family, which also consists of 12-year-old daughter Maddie, feel right at home.
For his part, Bridgman said Starke reminds him of Tallassee, Alabama, where he grew up. Tallassee is a town of approximately 5,000 people that is approximately 34 miles east of Montgomery.
Church was a big part of Bridgman’s life. He described his family as one that was at church whenever the doors were open.
“My dad was in leadership as a deacon and then as a youth leader,” Bridgman said.
Bridgman said he planned on becoming an entrepreneur, but at the age of 17, God revealed to him that he was to go into the ministry. Bridgman admitted he was shocked by the revelation, but he shared what God was leading him to do with his father and his pastor.
He initially fulfilled the calling by traveling as an evangelist.
“I surrendered to that (call) at 17,” Bridgman said. “I had an opportunity to just share what God was doing in my life with my church family. That testimony led to an invitation to speak, which led to another invitation. That kind of continued. I actually traveled and just did that. I spoke for seven years before I took a pastorate of a local church.”
Bridgman, who has a bachelor’s degree from Stonecrest, Georgia’s Luther Rice College and Seminary Liberty University and a master’s degree from Lynchburg, Virginia’s Liberty University, eventually took on the role of lead pastor at Mt. Olive Community Church in Tallassee, where he stayed for seven years. It was quite the change from being a traveling evangelist. Bridgman joked that as an evangelist, if he created a mess wherever he was speaking, it was up to the pastor of that church to clean it up after he left. He said as the pastor of a church, he was creating the mess and cleaning it up, too.
In all seriousness, it was a welcome change at that time in his life. Bridgman had just gotten married, so it was nice to be able to stay at home. Plus, the opportunity gave him the chance to personally witness how people grew in their relationship with God.
“In traveling (as an evangelist), you get to see a lot of decisions, but you never have the chance to see what came of those,” Bridgman said.
Bridgman said one of his biggest joys in being a pastor is “seeing people take their next step in their relationship with God — whatever that next step is.”
“Just seeing believers take a step and not being stagnant in the relationship and continuing to move forward is one of my greatest blessings,” he said.
After his time at Mt. Olive, Bridgman became the family pastor at First Baptist Church of Theodore, which is near Mobile. He served there for more than three years before moving to 3Circle Church to become a campus pastor. The church has multiple locations in Mobile and surrounding areas.
Bridgman said he has always been comfortable speaking in front of others, but as a pastor, he had to grow as a leader as well. He said most of his growth in that area took place at 3Circle.
“It was there where I really learned that leadership and pastoral ministry can co-exist — that you can be strong in both of those things,” Bridgman said.
He remained at 3Circle for two years before taking on the role of executive pastor at Journey Church in Prattville, which is near Montgomery.
Five years later, Bridgman and his family are now in Starke at Cross Church.
“It feels like we’re where we belong and where we’re meant to be,” Bridgman said. “We’re excited about plugging into the community and getting more involved and getting to know more people, both within and outside of the church.”
Bridgman said Cross Church is involved in the community, too, fulfilling what Jesus said, to love thy neighbor as thyself.
“We want to do things that make our area better and things that just show people that we love you, and God loves you,” Bridgman said. “We’re not doing things because we expect something from you, but we just want to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Bridgman said it’s important churches don’t lose sight of that as they attempt to remain relevant in a rapidly changing society in which people aren’t as apt to just show up whenever the church doors are open.
“I think there’s a tendency or pull to put all of your focus on relevance when the key is to remain faithful to what God has called us to do,” Bridgman said, adding, “We are missionaries, regardless of where we are. We want to be good missionaries and present the gospel in ways that people understand.”
When it comes to being faithful to God, that means in all of life’s situations. With that in mind, Bridgman said his favorite book of the Bible is Philippians, citing the fact that its author, Paul, is writing words of encouragement to others despite being in prison.
“It’s a reminder that in the midst of all of life, whether it be good or chaotic, God’s still working,” Bridgman said. “He’s moving. I can find joy, regardless of my circumstances.”
