VITAL Conversations with Pastor Kevin & Natasha Poston
Vital Conversations: Lessons Learned from the Margins.
Name: Kevin Poston
Spouse: Natasha Poston
Kids/Grandkids: Mackenzie Poston - 14, Kennedy Poston - 10
Church: East Radford Church of God
How long have you pastored this church? 1 year
Other churches you have served?
● Associate/Youth Pastor East Radford Church of God
1. How has God confirmed His calling on your life?
Three out of my four uncles were pastors, and I was also raised in a pastor’s home (shout out to all the PKs). God knew I needed all the Godly influences I could get I guess. Life was hectic at times, and it seemed a bit unfair to me if I’m being honest. I can still remember asking my parents multiple times when we might be able to live a “normal” life. At some point it became evident to me that my parents were not so interested in living a “normal” life, but oddly enough they seemed to find fulfillment in the selfless ambition of being pastors. Some days were good, and some days were rough, really rough. I can remember my dad telling me “Son, if you can do anything else in this life and not pastor, do it.” But oddly enough he would always add, “But if you are a pastor, you’ll see it is the most fulfilling profession there is.”
I guess like most young adults I started chasing that “normal” life I had always hoped for. That is until God squeezed my heart while watching people pray around the altar one Sunday morning. I was playing the bass guitar when all the sudden I felt their pain, I felt their burdens, and I just wanted to do whatever I could to intercede for them. It was in that moment that I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to accept the calling that I was trying to avoid. I remember going to the altar and telling them that I didn’t know what God was calling me to do exactly, but I promised to follow wherever He led me. Since that day some 17 years ago, He has led me to positions as Youth Pastor, Evangelist, Associate Pastor and finally Lead Pastor.
This first year as the Lead Pastor has been the absolute craziest of them all. I started this position while in the middle of the Ministerial Internship Program, while also working a highly stressful job that was demanding more than 40 hours a week. Not to mention trying to ensure my wife and daughters weren’t just stuck with whatever version of me was left over.
I’m not telling you all that to get your pity, some might even think that’s not that bad. But I do think it’s ironic how non-normal my life now is, and I am so thankful that God has entrusted to me this great calling.
2. How has God proven His faithfulness in your ministry?
I’ll never forget when the doctor told my wife that in order for her and our unborn baby to survive the pregnancy, she would need to go on a certain medication. He then let us know that the medicine would need to be administered as a shot in the stomach every day for the entire duration of the pregnancy. And if that wasn’t bad enough, even after insurance it was going to cost us $200 a month. To be honest, that was $200 a month that we did not have. I can still remember pacing back and forth in our little one bedroom apartment talking to God about how in the world this was supposed to work. A few days had passed and I pulled into our driveway to see Natasha with an envelope in her hand. She said “You aren’t going to believe this, but this is a money order for $200.” I started thinking about the family members we had told, and called every single one of them. “Kevin, we’d love to help you if you need it, but that wasn’t us.” This was the response every single person I called gave me.
The next month came, and there was another money order. Then the third month, and a third money order. Since it was a money order there was no name attached to it, just the handwriting. I’m a little ashamed to admit that when we got our Christmas cards that year, I meticulously compared each handwritten Christmas greeting with the money order, but to no avail. Eight months, eight money orders.
Then the ninth month came, but no money order. I may have gotten spoiled. It just seemed odd right? If someone had gone this far, why stop at month eight? I pulled up to the window and told the lady what I needed, to which she responded “Mr. Poston, it’s your lucky day. They just came out with a generic form of this medicine, and it’s only going to cost you $15.”
$15 is the total price I paid, when it should have been $1,800. I paid $15 to see that my God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory. There was no money order on month nine because God knew.
That happened early in my ministry, but it was the beginning of God proving Himself faithful time and time again. From that day we have received more random gifts (some that were the exact dollar amount needed), multiple healings, words of encouragement from folks led by the Spirit, I could go on and on. You will never truly understand the faithfulness of God until you have no one else to depend on. As tough as some of these situations were, I’m thankful that because of them, I have full confidence that He will never leave me, or forsake me.
3. Why do you enjoy pastoring your local congregation?
I’m in a bit of a unique situation in that I am able to pastor the church that I attended for 28 years. Of course that presents its own set of complications, but these folks are my family.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15 (ESV)
A few months ago I prayed with a young man as he gave his heart back to the Lord. I looked behind him and saw his Mom and Dad with tears running down their faces, knowing that their long running prayer request was finally being answered.
A month after becoming Lead Pastor, I got a call from our guitar player one morning, “Kevin, she just passed away.” His wife had been sick for a while and we were concerned she wouldn’t be with us much longer. This lady was an amazing woman of God, and man did this hurt so bad. I will never forget driving to their house that morning, wiping tears from my face, begging God to give me strength to be who I needed to be in that moment.
We rejoice when they rejoice, we weep when they weep. The fact that we hold this awesome responsibility to help folks navigate these seasons of their lives is overwhelming at times, but it is the most incredible honor that one could have. This is what I enjoy. This is what brings me fulfillment. Dad, you were so right.
4. Why is your local congregation vital to your community?
Our church is blessed in that we have many local business owners as well as school teachers and child care providers. We are constantly leveraging these relationships in a variety of ways to make sure that we are helping those around us in need.
This past year I was also so proud of the support that our church showed the hurricane victims in Virginia and North Carolina. We partnered with other churches and organizations to send multiple loads of supplies, as well Christmas toys for the children.
This is a continued area of focus for our church. One of the most powerful questions a church can ask is “If we were to shut our doors, would the community care?” I believe I can safely answer that question with an emphatic yes.
5. What is one valuable lesson you’ve learned from a misstep or mistake in handling a situation?
This is an easy one for me, and that is simply the fact that I did not address the situation sooner. For some reason (maybe because I try to avoid confrontation too much) I tend to think that given enough time, things will just work themselves out. You’re probably laughing right now because that is definitely not how that works is it? Instead, it typically gets more complicated, and harder to manage. I have to admit here, I’m still a work in progress. This is something that I’ve asked the Holy Spirit to help me with, and thankfully He has given me the boldness that I have needed to address some smaller issues before they turn into situations. I’m not sure why we seem to forget that the same God that gives us the words we need behind the pulpit, is the same God that will give us the words we need during a tough conversation.
6. Have you had to think “outside the box” to accomplish a task or mission in the church and what was it?
I work as a Software Engineering Team Lead for an international company called Remote. Telling people I work “at Remote” leads to some confusing conversations. “Yes you work remotely, but for who?” I’ve been writing code for about 15 years now, and I’ve always used technology as a tool to help my ministry.
Prioritization and allocation of time is always important for a pastor, but for bi-vocational ministers it is absolutely critical for success. I am constantly looking for ways that technology can make me more efficient so that I can reach more people.
It’s no secret that social media and other online platforms play such a vital role in reaching the harvest today. I don’t have a media staff, but what I do have is software that is able to help me with tasks that would take me hours every week to complete. For example, last year we started the year like many others do, with 21 days of prayer and fasting. I wanted our church’s social media accounts to post a verse and an inspirational image every day of the fast. That’s 21 verses and 21 images that I’d have to organize. Maybe you have a staff person that does this for you. If so, I’d imagine you give them specific prompts of what type of verses you’d like, and maybe even what type of images. This is exactly what I did with an AI (Artificial Intelligence) tool. I gave it the specific prompts just like I would have to an actual person, and it gave me 21 verses with some graphics to consider. I looked over the verses and determined that some were perfect, and then there were some that didn’t exactly match what I felt God wanted us to focus on, so I swapped those out. In about 15 to 20 minutes, I was done. It was absolutely incredible.
I know that this is a heavily debated topic within our circles today, and I’m of course not here to write a defense paper. There are legitimate concerns that we should address, but I’d argue those concerns aren’t so different from those we have of the technology that we already use. It’s also important to remember that AI is not sentient. At this point it should be treated as an extremely powerful search engine, of which we all probably already use.
7. What are some of the future ministry goals for your church?
If you are familiar with the book, The Great Dechurching, you will understand what I mean when I say that our church is more confessional than missional. We have powerful services alongside a strong Biblical foundation. The congregation knows the Word, and they are mature in their walk with the Lord.
We feel that God has prepared us for such a time as this, and that with this great foundation that we have, it is time to make a more concentrated effort to light up this world for His glory.
It is our prayer that we get to a place in which every week brings an opportunity for someone new to accept Jesus. This year we asked ourselves the following questions:
● Do I expect sinners to walk through our doors?
● If not, then what am I doing to change that?
● What neighbor or coworker do I need to start talking to?
Our goals right now are all around engaging the lost, and showing them the goodness of God in every way that we can, for we know it is the goodness of God that leads people to repentance.
