Dance encourages Southwestern community to ‘finish well’

Finish well by overcoming four obstacles, Mark Dance, director of pastoral wellness at Guidestone Financial Resources, preached during chapel services at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Texas Baptist College on April 13.

Preaching from Acts 20, Dance spoke of examples of men in their 90s that finished their ministries well. He highlighted Jack Echols, a 93-year-old man retired pastor from North Carolina, who faithfully fed his wife three meals a day in the nursing home as her memory was declining. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, he went a step further and moved into the nursing home so he would be able to continue helping and being with his wife. Dance described Echols as an example of someone that “finished well.”

Dance said during his first year of ministry several pastors “disqualified themselves from the race” and identified the four obstacles that prevent people from finishing their lives and ministries well. “Like the apostle Paul and Jack Echols, we need to think about the finish line,” said Dance. He added that 1 Corinthians 9 talks about the importance of “disciplining” your “body and putting it under strict control” to not be “disqualified” from the race of preaching and leading others in ministry.

Dance said the first obstacle to finishing well is fear. Dance discussed that there is “fear of the unknown, fear of failure, and fear of isolation.”

Dance added that evangelist Billy Graham is another example of someone who finished well. He noted that Graham “loved Jesus” and “his wife” to “the very end” and “kept his greatest two covenants – his first love and his second love.” From Graham’s example, Dance encouraged the assembly to finish “strong” and “well.”

The second obstacle to finishing well is fatigue, Dance said. He explained there is “spiritual fatigue, emotional fatigue and mental fatigue, and physical fatigue.” He described the danger of “becoming spiritually dehydrated” and emphasized the importance of ministers taking care of themselves.

“Self-care is strategic. It is not selfish,” said Dance. He supported the importance of this by noting that “Guidestone’s mental health claims have increased 40% in the last three years” and he encouraged the Southwestern and TBC community to “take responsibility for the condition of your life.”

Third, Dance said, frustration is a reason that also keeps people from finishing well. He mentioned the frustration that Paul experienced as found in Acts 20:29, which included false teachers that caused confusion amongst the people. “When you get fatigued, don’t give up, because you will reap a harvest if you don’t give up,” said Dance. “God is stronger” and “His grip on us is strong,” he proclaimed.

The fourth and final obstacle to finishing well, according to Dance, is finances. Dance described the importance of being good stewards of money and being responsible. “Ultimately, if we are to lead or manage our homes or God’s well, we are responsible for every dime spent,” he concluded.

Dance, who began serving with Guidestone in 2022, was a senior pastor for 28 years in Texas, Arkansas, and Tennessee, before he began serving with Lifeway Christian Resources in 2014. Dance has also served as the director of pastoral development for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.

Dance holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

Dance’s entire message can be viewed here.

Chapel is held every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 10 a.m. (CT) in MacGorman Chapel on the campus of Southwestern Seminary and TBC. Chapel may be viewed live at swbts.live.