Tricia and Joe Duke
by Lisa Moody Breslin, photography by Walter P. Calahan
Senior Pastor Joe Duke and his wife, Tricia, have called Westminster home since 1987.
They moved to Carroll County when their boys, Ben and Brandon, were two and four-years-old.
With a congregation of 25 people, they opened LifePoint Church at Mechanicsville Elementary School. Today, the church has more than 2,000 members.
Ben, now 32, lives in Colorado with his wife, Jobi, and children, Kai and Cole. Brandon, now 30, lives in North Africa with his wife, Chrissy, and their daughter, Raelyn.
Joe and Tricia met when they were seniors at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, where she earned a degree in Sociology and he earned a degree in Biblical Study. Joe earned a Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. Tricia earned an RN from Catonsville Community College and Masters Degree from University of Maryland. Her specialty is orthopedics.
Let’s start with some easy questions. What is your favorite song (right now)? Joe – I know it sounds a little cheesy but I can’t shake Pharrell Williams’ song, “Happy.” It reminds me of my grandchildren and makes me smile every time I hear it. Tricia – “You are the God of the City” and “How Great is Our God.”
Favorite food (right now)? Joe – Wow, that’s a tough call but I would have to say Tricia’s homemade vegetable soup or her enchiladas. Tricia – Mexican, anything Mexican
Favorite movie or book (right now)? Joe – I usually have about seven books going at one time. A couple of times a year, I read Lance Witt’s book, “Replenished.” It’s soul-satisfying to me! The movie, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” appeals to my adventurous, find-yourself side. Plus, that movie was filmed in Iceland, and our family was there two months ago. Great memories! Tricia – “Daring Greatly” by Brene Brown.
LifePoint’s growth is the result of many factors. Briefly discuss what you believe to be the top three. Joe – Well, first and foremost, I believe God was behind the start of our church. And when you’re led by God, it doesn’t always mean things will go perfectly but it does mean you stand a chance to be part of something significant. In addition, by the early 90s I think this region was poised for a church like ours. Our church was a pioneering effort. And I think people were increasingly receptive to a different kind of church. I also think our church has experienced growth because we have a great staff team, incredible volunteers, and a congregation that’s willing to believe God can use us to fulfill our mission of influencing people to find and follow Jesus.
Tricia, what are three of your favorite roles at LifePoint? I love volunteering in Women’s Ministry especially through mentoring younger women. I’m also involved in ministry at the Cold Weather Shelter and in offering my services as a Nurse Practitioner at Access Carroll.
When was the biggest burst of growth for LifePoint, and was it within a specific age range or demographic? Joe – For many years our church met in rented facilities. We purchased 70 acres and moved into the first phase of our campus in 2004. We then added a worship center and kid’s space in 2006. Our church exploded with growth shortly after we moved into our own facility. At LifePoint we’re aware that “church” is not a building. The church is people. Our campus is just a tool to help us accomplish our mission. We continue to reach people of all ages. I always wanted to be part of a multi-generational church! We break ground this month on a new nursery wing and expanded space for our Children’s Ministry and HUGS (our ministry to the disabled). We’re always looking for ways to influence more people.
Joe, you are known as a dynamic, wonderful speaker who preaches hope and doesn’t preach down to parishioners. Talk a little about your preaching style. It always bothered me when I heard a preacher who spoke with a “preacher voice” or screamed at people to remind them how bad they are. That kind of thing creates an even wider chasm between church and contemporary culture. It’s a privilege for me to speak to so many people so I just want to talk to them not preach at them. I really enjoy taking complicated concepts about God and the Bible and communicating those truths in ways that are more easily understood. My four goals in preaching are accuracy, clarity, relevance and passion. I want to give people hope that they can become the people God made them to be.
Tricia, what are three adjectives you would use to describe Joe’s preaching style? Engaging, clear and grace-filled.
Three adjectives to describe how you feel when he is preaching? Proud, closer to God and thankful for everyone who gets to hear him teach.
Joe, does preaching come naturally for you? Yes it does, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Preaching is the hardest thing I do. I take it very seriously. I make sure I’ve given God my best by preparing. Then it’s God’s job to change people. I can’t change anyone.
Do you practice? I don’t practice preaching as much as I try and practice what I preach. It doesn’t take much to lose credibility as a preacher. Often God will have me live out, through circumstances, what I’m going to preach about. That’s why I don’t enjoy preaching about trials and hardship (laughter).
Have you looked to other mentors and learned from them? The world is filled with so many great people, isn’t it? I love to learn. I learned a practical love of the Bible from Howard Hendricks. A Greek scholar named Zane Hodges helped shape my theological grid. And Pastor Bill Hybels showed me that church ministry could be really practical and exciting.
Has your faith ever faltered? If so, briefly describe either what caused the falter or how you shored your faith back up. My faith falters about every other day (laughter)! I’m suspicious of people who say they don’t struggle. I never doubt that God exists, but I do question the way He works sometimes. I’m a recovering control freak and I also have very high expectations of others but even higher expectations of myself. Sometimes my faith falters when I expected God to do “more” or “better” and He seems uninvolved or uncooperative. So, sometimes I hear God say, “Just rest in Me, Joe.”
Many other churches and synagogues have congregations that are dwindling, why do you think that is happening? I often say, “Church is a lot like hard work.” I have empathy for those who have given themselves to vocational ministry. It’s not easy, but it is easy to get stuck in ministry. We can get stuck in the past and embrace a reluctance to change. God’s message of the good news through Jesus never changes. But the way that message gets communicated must change to keep up with the times. We have the most liberating truth in the universe. We have to continually ask how we can reach more people in ways that make sense to them.
Traditional liturgy is quite powerful for many people, while others seek more modern, if not unique, ways to worship. Talk a little about balancing those disparate needs. So much of worship style is personal preference. We get into trouble when we try and make worship style a right/wrong issue. Our Music Director, Kevin McMonigle, has been with us from our earliest days and has shaped our worship movement. At our church we’ve chosen to use a band and multimedia. So we have projection screens and theater lighting. We don’t have stained glass and our worship center tends to be a little darker because we use lots of video. We’ll reach people who appreciate that. More liturgical churches will reach other people. We’re all on the same team. And I’m expecting we’ll all live happily ever after.
With modern nuances do you, or others, worry that the gathering space still feels sacred? Admittedly, our church campus more closely resembles a fine arts center rather than a traditional church. I remind our people all the time that the church building is not the house of God. That sounds heretical to most people. But the New Testament tells us that God does not dwell in temples made with human hands. God lives inside of people. We try and create environments that nurture that sacred space inside of both the Christ-follower and the person who is curious to know more about God.
Many people don’t think about or talk about church as a business, but it is. Do you feel comfortable talking about some of the business aspects of LifePoint? I use three Cs to describe local church ministry. Church is a Cause, a Community and a Corporation. We can’t ignore the corporate side even though that’s a dirty word to some people. The business or corporate side reminds us we have a responsibility regarding insurance, payroll, budgets, benefits, tax-deductible gifts, building permits, state highway regulations, safety plans for our foreign teams, HR policies, performance appraisals and strategic planning. We would be foolish to ignore the “corporate” side of ministry.
Do you have a strong outreach program that requires a substantial portion of your budget? If so, which one(s) and how much of the budget is devoted to that outreach? A large percentage of our budget goes back into our surrounding region and to other parts of the world. We support ministries in our area that are helping people both physically and spiritually. Our worldwide involvement reaches into Ukraine, North Africa, Guatemala, Haiti, Ethiopia, Rwanda and the Middle East.
How many people work for the church and are on the payroll? Currently we have thirty-five employees both full-time and part-time and hundreds of volunteers.
Aside from the charitable giving of the congregation and guests who attend, what are the other sources of revenue? We have an amazingly generous congregation. We’ve always been a little reluctant to promote fundraisers, although we might do a couple every year. Our general budget and special projects are funded through the generous gifts of those who call LifePoint their home.
For my parents’ generation, giving to the church was a natural as breathing. I’m not sure that the same mindset exists. What do you think? I realize that some people can get weird when you talk about money and church in the same sentence. But I view giving as an investment not an obligation. It’s just one way that God invites us to join Him in what He’s doing in the world. The practice of giving to ministry is not graduate school—not something that super-spiritual people do; it’s kindergarten. Sharing our resources is in the same category as prayer or Bible study or serving others. It’s just what you do when you love God.
If there is a different mindset, how do you impress upon a younger generation of parishioners that contributing is vital to making ends meet? It starts early — very early. When our sons were young we taught them how to view money by giving them each three envelopes labeled: Give, Save, Spend. Those are the options for using money. And those are the same options even for adults. Whether it’s a younger generation or an older generation, people are inspired to give to a vision that makes a difference in the world.
Most churchgoing people attend one day a week; how do you inspire them keep the messages that unfold while in church alive the other days of the week? Well, first, if going to a church service once a week is your only source of spiritual input, you’re in trouble. I love what happens in our church services, but a church service can only contribute so much to your growth and development. A church service is practice; the game takes place during the week—out in the real world. More than half of our church is involved in some kind of small group during the week. And of course, we encourage people to develop their individual relationship with God by learning to feed themselves spiritually. We often point people to our website (www.lifepointchurch.us) where they can watch sermons and complete discussion questions for each week’s message.
Tricia, where do you see LifePoint ten years from now? I believe God wants to continue to extend His message of grace and love through LifePoint into our community and throughout the world. I see our influence expanding. And I see future generations becoming Christ-like influencers in this movement called LifePoint Church.
