By Valerie Sliker courtesy Wagener Monthly
Evangelist, pastor and author Dr. Blake Carroll held spiritual renewal meetings at First Baptist Church Wagener on May 27 – May 29, 2016.
Dr. Carroll, his wife Shannan, and their four children reside in Hohenwald, TN. Carroll holds an undergraduate degree in business, a master’s degree in Christian counseling and a doctorate degree in Theology and he is the recipient of four honorary doctorate degrees. He founded Christ-Pointe Ministries over ten years ago as an evangelistic outreach ministry that brings hope and encouragement to people through faith in Jesus Christ.
Having been saved at the age of 10, Carroll began feeling a call to preach at 18 while he was working in the funeral industry and planning to become a funeral director and embalmer. However, he kept running from the call. Finally, one Sunday morning while in church, he prayed if it was God’s will for him to be a preacher that the song “Are You Washed in the Blood” would be sung for the invitational hymn. This would obviously be a clear message that God wanted him to preach. Surprisingly, that song was sung, and Carroll made public his call to preach the gospel. He preached his very first sermon that night in the same church and he’s been preaching ever since. (He also attended mortuary college and became a licensed funeral director and embalmer.)
Before preaching a revival meeting, Dr. Carroll always prays for God’s Holy Spirit to lead him regarding what he needs to preach. Avoiding “sermonettes,” he talks to the church’s pastor to learn what the pastor’s burden is for the church and then Carroll prays for guidance as he prepares for each meeting.
Dr. Adrian Rogers and Dr. James Merritt, both former presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention, are two men Carroll credits as instrumental in his ministry. They are both heroes and mentors.
As Chaplain of the Tennessee State General Assembly under Governor Phil Bredesen for two years in the early aughts, Dr. Carroll would open legislature sessions in prayer and offer counsel to Tennessee’s Governor, Senators and Representatives at that time. He also had an opportunity to meet and pray with some of the US Senators and Representatives just a few years ago and he prayed with Governor Mike Huckabee before his first presidential campaign.
I caught up with Dr. Carroll somewhere between revivals in Indianapolis and Wagener and I asked him about his hobbies. Bass fishing with his girls ranks #1, closely followed by dates with his wife. Carroll is a big St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan and they try to go to a game once a year. He also likes to write and has four nationally published books.
“The most important thing to me,” Dr. Carroll said, “and the primary focus of my evangelistic ministry is to preach the gospel and point people to Christ in every area of life so that they might experience His saving grace. The most important thing for me, to this day, is to see lost people saved. I’ve had the privilege over years to see hundreds of people come to Jesus Christ. That’s the most rewarding part of my ministry, its sole purpose and focus.”
I asked Dr. Carroll both the most exciting thing and the most embarrassing thing he has encountered in his ministry.
One of the most exciting things to happen to Dr. Carroll was during a revival in Nashville when he was invited to the home of the Queen of Country Music, Kitty Wells. “My granddad had always been a Kitty Wells fan,” Dr. Carroll said, “and I had Kitty Wells sing to granddaddy over the phone.”
As for the most embarrassing thing in Carroll’s ministry, “I was preaching at Tom’s Creek Baptist in Linden, Tennessee, one Sunday morning,” Dr. Carroll explained. “After preaching, I went to the back of the church to shake hands as people left. Well, Julie, who’s with the Lord now, came back and began to shake my hand. As we clasped hands, her black skirt fell off of her. Just fell to the ground. She screamed, ‘Oh my goodness!’ I told her: Sister Julie, the power of the Lord must have been on you today, you done come out of your skirt. It fell plumb to the ground!”
We appreciate Dr. Carroll visiting Wagener and hope to see him return. You may listen to Dr. Blake Carroll’s sermons, purchase books, CDs, DVDs and more or learn about his ministry at www.christpointe.com.