10 | April 2025
to do was pastor and once I felt like God had called me to that, I didn’t want to do anything else, he said.” After almost two months of wrestling with the decision, Hopkins felt the Lord tell him, “How about if I have you serve pastors for a while instead of being one?” He finally reached a decision. “I either had to do one of two things,” he said. “I had to throw out everything I knew about discerning the will of God, or I had to come on state staff.” SCBO churches and pastors have benefitted from Hop - kins’ choice for the last 28 years. “Steve Hopkins has been and will continue to be a bless- ing to Ohio Baptists,” said Dr. Jeremy Westbrook, SCBO executive director. “He has the mind of a scholar, the heart of a shepherd, and the passion of a soul-winner. I, along with many others, are honored to call him friend.” As Hopkins completes his ministry at SCBO, he’s taking the lessons he’s learned over the years and looking for- ward to how the Lord will use him next. “I’m not really sure what’s next,” he said. “I’m not hang- ing up my cleats, but I’m not going to lace them up every day.” He’s open to wherever the Lord leads him next but has an idea of what it might entail. “I feel prayer will be at the heart of whatever’s next for me because that’s been a passion of mine for a lot of years.” As for his legacy at SCBO and among Ohio Baptists, he has a clear picture of what he hopes he’s accomplished. “I hope that 1 Corinthians 15:58, where Paul says, ‘Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord,’” he said. “That steadfastness. I’m not the flashiest guy out there. I’m not going to wow people, but I hope that I have been steadfast.” As a high school student, Hopkins played football, and his picture was in the local newspaper. He was in his uniform in his stance and the caption read, “Blue Devil Stalwart.” “I remember in high school thinking, ‘That’s the dumb- est thing you could say about somebody,’” he recalled. New Career Opportunity Ministry Assistant
“What does that even mean?” Hopkins’ mom cut out the picture, framed it and hung it. “Every time I walked by that picture, I thought, ‘That’s dumb!’” Fifty years later, he’s had a change of heart. “In the last few years, God brought that back to my mind, and I finally went and did some research and looked at what ‘stalwart’ means,” he said. He learned that “stal” is the word for a pillar that holds up a building, and the word “wart” means worthy. “So, a worthy pillar of strength,” he said. In recent years, Hopkins has prayed to be a worthy pil- lar of strength for his family, those he influenced through SCBO, and in retirement, those the Lord brings into his life. “And from now on I want to help people find that spot where they can sense the non-anxious presence of God and hear from him,” he said. “That’s what I want to do. I want to clear out a spot so they can hear from him, and if they have heard from him, then my mission is complete.” Editor’s Note: Breaking News – Steve Hopkins’s new mission is bringing him back to SCBO as the part-time Association and Prayer Catalyst. Farewell and Welcome Back, Steve!
SCBO is looking for a talented person to join our team as a part-time ministry assistant. For more info, complete the form HERE
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