In this episode, Brett and Bryan welcome two guests to the podcast: Pastor John Lowder and Pastor Rick Owlsley.

Pastor John is the lead pastor of Frontline Bible Church in Byron Center, MI, and the Director of Pastoral Care at the Grace Gospel Fellowship. Pastor John will be helping us interview our guest, Pastor Rick Owlsley. We’ve invited Pastor Rick onto the podcast to glean the wisdom of our more seasoned pastors.

Pastor Rick Owlsley currently serves at St. Louis Bible Fellowship where he has been pastoring for the past 26 years and has spent the past 50 years working in ministry. He is 72 years old and lives in St. Louis with his wife.

Before we get the interview underway, we just want to take the time to thank Pastor Rick for his lifetime of service in ministry. 50 years of ministry work is no small feat, and to continue to pastor at 72 years old just shows his love and dedication to God’s kingdom. So thank you Pastor Rick for the work you’ve done. We’re excited to start this interview and learn from someone who has spent their life in ministry.

“How did you become a Mid-Acts Dispensationalist?”

Rick: “I came to know the Lord when I was 16 years old and started attending a Baptist church in my hometown in Alabama. The pastor was very dispensational, he really had an understanding of the distinction between the church and Israel. Under his teaching, I started asking questions and when he could not provide sufficient answers I began to have doubts about the doctrine.

Later I attended American Christian College in Tulsa Oklahoma. I remember how confusing it was to be surrounded by students who held different doctrinal beliefs but I continued to pray that God would reveal the truth to me. My primary Bible teacher was David Noble and he seemed to have so many of the answers it really drew my attention. He never labeled anything but all of a sudden it all began to make sense when he taught dispensationalism and grace theology.

After college, around the age of 24, I became the pastor of a church in Cope Colorado which sort of served as a seminary for me. I learned so much from the people in that church, it really was an invaluable experience. But eventually, I felt called to pastor at St. Louis Bible Fellowship where I still serve today.”

“How did you decide to get involved with seminary?”

Rick: “I realized there was no master’s program in the GFF. There was no higher education specializing in Grace theology. That’s how I got involved with the St. Louis Theological Seminary.”

“What about Mid-Acts Dispensationalism has kept you Dispensational?”

Rick: “In one word; answers. When you approach the Scriptures, when you rightly divide, you get answers. The inconsistencies are done away with. There are answers.”

“What does rightly dividing mean?”

John: “When we say rightly dividing, it means that we’re not just part of a club. It means we are seeking to correctly be in the word of God. One of the biggest areas of the church where people get confused is in understanding the difference between God’s program with Israel and God’s program with the body of Christ. When we say rightly dividing, we mean we’re going to study the full word of God but we understand there’s a difference in how God dealt with Israel and how God deals with the church today.”

“Have you ever had doubts about Mid-Acts Dispensationalism?”

Rick: “I’ve never had doubts about the doctrine itself but I have had doubts in my own understanding. But that has only made me want to study more and search the scriptures more.”

“What would you like to say about the importance of Mid-Acts Dispensationalism?”

Rick: “We are living in perilous times and I do believe that the rapture of the church is growing ever closer. People are looking for answers and what we teach has those answers. You want to make sure you have all the answers you need before the rapture.”

Final Thoughts

Once again, a big thank you to Pastor Rick Owlsley for taking the time to be with us today! If you’ve enjoyed this episode of the Thriving Church Leadership podcast, be sure to keep an eye out for the rest of our “Grace Positive” miniseries. We’ll be interviewing more pastors and celebrating graciousness, so stay tuned.

Need help?

Grace Gospel Fellowship would love to partner with your church leadership as you grow together. We offer many different resources to help you thrive in your calling to shepherd the church. Reach out to us at info@ggfusa.org to get started!