Pastor Kit Johnson

Pastoral Questionnaire
1. Family Background, Conversion and Call to Gospel Ministry
I grew up in a rural community in Western Illinois. My dad is a farmer, and from the time
that I was a young boy I spent as much time as I could with him on the farm. I progressively
took on more responsibilities, and I am thankful for how the Lord used my childhood to
build my work ethic and a variety of practical skills. I am especially thankful that my parents
are strong Christians. They set a great example of godliness for me, and they also raised me
in a strong church and sent me to a Christian school in 1st9th grade. As a result, I grew up
hearing the gospel. In a first grade Bible class, I realized my need for Christ, and I accepted
Christ as my Savior that evening at home. Since that time, I have experienced the conviction
of the Holy Spirit and have desired to know God and to obey his Word. I am thankful for
Gods continued work of grace in my life to help me know him more and to make me more
and more like Christ.
Since I was in elementary school, I have had an interest in preaching. As a result, I always
considered the ministry to be a possible course for my life. However, I also wrestled with
the draw of working on our family farm or of pursuing a career path that could make me
wealthy. During the summer after my freshman year of high school, I heard a camp sermon
which highlighted the joy that comes in serving Christ. I sensed a strong urge to serve Christ
in the ministry, and I recognized that pursuing Gods will is of much greater value than any
other path I could pursue. That night I committed myself to pursue the ministry. Since then,
my desire for ministry has only increased, and by Gods grace, it has been confirmed by the
testimony of others.
2. Education and Ministry Experience
During my freshman year of high school, the church which hosted my Christian school split,
and the school closed. As a result, I spent my last three years of high school in a public
school. God used those years to expand my vision for the lost, to develop my ability to
relate to them, and to build boldness for sharing my faith. During those years I began to
consider what type of ministry role I wanted to pursue and where I would go to college. I
enjoyed preaching, and I was motivated to make a difference; therefore, I believed that God
wanted me to be a travelling evangelist. I decided to attend Northland Baptist Bible College
of Dunbar, WI following graduation. The Lord used my years at Northland (19992005) to
considerably grow my walk with Christ and to shape my view of ministry. During my first
preaching class, I was introduced to the significance of expository preaching for building the
church, and I fell in love with the idea of long-term expositional preaching to a particular
congregation. Through this class God turned my heart toward pastoral ministry.
After completing my bachelors degree, Northland offered me a position as Teachers
Assistant. I accepted the position and remained at Northland for two more years. I taught
Greek Grammar and a class on the Book of Hebrews. As well, throughout my six years at
Northland, I attended Family Baptist Church of Kingsford, MI. During my last couple of years

at Family Baptist, I served as the youth director. God used this experience to develop a love
for teenagers and a desire to minister to them.
After finishing at Northland in 2005, Heidi and I were married and moved to the Detroit
area so that I could attend Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary. I completed a Master of
Divinity in 2008, and I completed a Master of Theology in 2011. We joined Inter-City Baptist
Church of Allen Park, MI, when we moved to the Detroit area, and we began serving on the
volunteer youth staff. The next summer (2006), ICBC hired me to serve on the pastoral staff.
For almost nine years, I have led the teen ministry of ICBC, and I have also filled a variety of
other roles. I currently oversee adult education, manage the calendar for our ministry
(which includes the seminary and a Christian school), lead our efforts to care for absentees
and transitioning members, and assist with a variety of other functions.
I have really enjoyed my ministry at ICBC, but God has been developing an increasing desire
in my heart to be a senior pastor so that I can give myself to preaching and teaching, to
leading a church in fulfilling its mission, and to making and maturing disciples. I believe that
God has confirmed this desire through the feedback I have received from people in our
church.
3. Heidis Family Background and Testimony
By the grace of God I was born into a family with believing parents. During my childhood I
lived in PA while my dad attended seminary. We then moved to NJ where my parents
assisted in the start of a church. At a very young age I came home from AWANA with the
convicting work of the Holy Spirit about the sin in my heart and after discussing this with my
parents, I accepted Christ as my Savior the next afternoon. When I was in the 6th grade, my
family moved to Charleston SC to be close to my mothers family. I am thankful for the
Christian school education I received from kindergarten-12th grade. I appreciate as well the
incredible testimony my parents lived out before me and my siblings of what it looks like to
live life walking with Christ. By the continual work of the Holy Spirit leading in my life, I
attended Northland Baptist Bible College where I studied theology. The Lord grew my faith
tremendously during my time at college. After my freshman year, I was able to serve on a
mission trip to St. Vincent. Because of that trip, the greatest desire of my heart was to serve
Christ for the sake of the gospel in whatever capacity that may be. I praise God for leading
me to a godly man (Kit) while at Northland who had the same heart desires to serve our
Lord.
4. Heidis Attitude toward My Being a Senior Pastor
Heidi understood before we began dating that I felt called to the ministry, and she has
always supported that calling and embraces its implications for her life and the life of our
family. Heidi is committed to supporting me in my ministry, and she is also committed to
serving in the church. She has had a tremendous ministry to the teenagers at ICBC, and she
has served in a variety of other roles as well.
5. Personal and Family Devotional Life

I begin every day with 30-40 minutes of personal Bible study that isnt tied to my ministry at
ICBC. I also am intentional about making sure my sermon preparation stays devotional.
Finally, I try to read books which will develop my walk with Christ. My wife and I read
Scripture and pray most mornings during breakfast. As well, we have open dialogue about
what we are learning and where we need to grow.
6. Bible Translations
I believe that textual criticism is a legitimate discipline. No single translation is the perfect
representation of Gods Word for all ages. I prefer the NASB and other more literal
translations, but I dont have a problem with other translations which accurately represent
the original texts and a conservative theology.
7. Method of Preaching
I believe that expositional preaching should be the dominant method of preaching in the
regular services of the church. By that, I mean section by section preaching through a book
or section of a book that is focused on drawing out the main idea intended by the author of
the text. There is a place for other methods depending on the context, assuming the
Scriptures still drive the sermon.
8. Philosophy of Pastoral Leadership
The primary NT titles for a pastor are overseer, shepherd/pastor, and elder (Acts
20:17, 28). These titles indicate that the pastor is to set an example of mature godliness and
to provide leadership for the overall direction of the church as well as for the lives of
individual believers. Practically speaking, this means that the pastor is responsible to set the
direction of the church and to constantly make sure it is in line with biblical principles and
priorities. The pastor is also responsible to lead in the process of discipling the members of
the church so that they can exercise their spiritual gifts and contribute to the growth of the
church (Eph 4:1113).
9. Church Finances and Church Debt
I believe the church should model the principles of financial responsibility which are taught
in the Scriptures. This means it should be conservative in establishing its budget so that it
maintains a strong testimony and so that biblical priorities and not financial obligations
drive its decision making. I believe the budget should allow the church to function with
excellence but that outreach in the local community and around the world should be high
priorities. I believe a church should avoid debt for normal operating expenses but that debt
is permissible for major projects (e.g., a building project), assuming there is a responsible
plan to pay it off.
10. Sacred/Secular Music
I believe that music is a powerful means of communication and that it can have moral value
within a cultural context. I believe any music a Christian listens to whether sacred or secular
should have a text which is consistent with Biblical doctrine and godly living. The style of
music should reflect the believers pursuit of holiness. Music used in the services of the
church should be theologically rich, and the music must be the servant of the text, not vice

versa. Church music should never be done to glorify the performer or to entertain the
congregation. Its purpose is to glorify God and edify the saints.
11. Dress Standards for Church Services
I do not believe the NT defines what is appropriate to wear to church; therefore, the answer
to this question will vary from culture to culture. In Western culture we dress up for
important occasions. Since the worship service of the church is an important occasion, I
believe dressing up is appropriate.
12. Divorce and Remarriage
Jesus taught that God created marriage to be a permanent, lifelong commitment. In Gods
original design, divorce would never occur (Matt 19:16). Therefore, when a marriage is
struggling, both partners should do everything they can to preserve the marriage. When
counseling a couple through marriage struggles, it would always be my goal to see the
marriage restored and healthy. Jesus taught that divorce and remarriage are permissible in
the case of immorality (Matt 5:3132; 19:79). I believe divorce is also permissible when
the wife and(or) children are being abused.
13. Calvinism/Arminianism
I hold to four of the five tenants of Calvinism, the exception being that I believe in an
unlimited atonement. I have explained my position more fully in my doctrinal statement,
especially under the soteriology heading.
14. Books
My favorite authors include Kevin DeYoung, Jonathan Leeman and Mark Dever (pastoral
theology); Jerry Bridges and John Piper (devotional); Ian Murray and George Marsden
(historical theology); John Frame (systematic theology); D. A. Carson and Douglas Moo (NT).
Here are the books I have read in the last two years that I can recall: Shepherds after My
Own Heart by Timothy Laniak, Bible Study: A Students Guide by Jon Nielson, Stop Asking
Jesus Into Your Heart: How to Know for Sure You Are Saved by J. D. Greear, God Is Impassible
and Impassioned: Toward a Theology of Divine Emotion by Rob Lister, The Power of Habit:
Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg, Bioethics: A Primer for
Christians by Gilbert Meilaender, Principles of Conduct by John Murray, God in the
Whirlwind by David Wells, Exploring the Worship Spectrum edited by Paul Basden,
Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp, The Juvenilization of American Christianity by Thomas
Bergler, Portrait of Calvin by T.H.L. Parker, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric
Metaxas, Charles Hodge: The Pride of Princeton by W. Andrew Hoffecker, Defending the
Faith: J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis of Conservative Protestantism in Modern America
by D. G. Hart, Expositional Preaching by David Helm, Shepherding a Childs Heart by Ted
Tripp, Preparing Your Teens for College by Alex Chediak, Questioning Evangelism: Engaging
Peoples Hearts the Way Jesus Did by Randy Newman
15. Health of Our Family

None of us have any preexisting health conditions, and we are all in good health. Heidi is
careful to maintain a healthy diet for our family.
16. Strengths and Weaknesses
I think I am organized, disciplined, and hard working. From a ministry standpoint, Ive had a
number of people tell me that I do well preaching and teaching. I think I do well with
administrative responsibilities. I also think I do well relating to people from various age
groups and backgrounds. Regarding weaknesses, my driven personality can make me
impatient with people, and I sometimes struggle to slow down and really listen. I sometimes
struggle with the fear of man. As a result, Im not always as quick to confront as I should be.
17. Brief Positions
a. Ecumenicalism/Neo-evangelicalism: I believe the Scriptures are clear that the church
must not grant Christian recognition or partner with anyone whose beliefs or lifestyle
deny the gospel (Gal 1:69; 2 John 911). Therefore the church must separate from any
individual, church, or organization which denies the gospel, including any doctrine
essential to the gospel. I also believe that the church is to separate from any professing
believer who refuses to obey a clear command of Scripture (2 Thess 3:614). Since the
command to separate from apostates is clear, I believe the church is required to
separate from any individual, church, or organization which grants Christian recognition
or partners with apostasy. This application is commonly referred to as secondary
separation. Because of these beliefs, I believe any ecumenical agenda which does not
clearly stand for essential doctrines and is willing to set them aside to work with
apostates is wrong. I also reject the new evangelical agenda because it rejected
separatism among other things.
b. Seeker Sensitive/Emerging Church: I believe that there are major flaws with both of
these models of ministry. I reject the seeker model because I believe the regular services
of the church are primarily for the purpose of glorifying God and edifying the saints, and
I also believe that the expositional preaching of the Scriptures should be the central
feature of the service. In contrast, the seeker model caters to the desires of the lost and
generally is not characterized by rich biblical teaching and a proper emphasis on
holiness and absolute commitment. I reject the emerging model because it belittles the
authority of the church and the perspicuity of Scripture among other things.
c. Charismatic Movement: I am a cessationist; therefore, I am opposed to any movement
which advocates the continued expression of the supernatural gifts.
18. Baptist Distinctives
I embrace all of classic distinctives of Baptist theology and polity.
19. Hobbies
I am a big sports fan. In my free time, I enjoy following my favorite teams. I enjoy playing
sports, though I cant do as much as I could before I blew out my knee. I also coach the JV
basketball team at our school. I read quite a bit, though all of my reading is ministry related.