Not long ago I talked about a man who led one congregation for more than four decades. Today I mention another – Joshua Hutson pastored the Pine Street Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia for more than 45 years.
Joshua was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia to Methodist parents, but I don’t know the year. He was saved by Christ and baptized by a Baptist church in 1858. While he planned to go to Bible college the war began and formal schooling became impossible. Nevertheless he studied to show himself approved unto God and was ordained by the Byrne Street Baptist Church in Petersburg, Virginia in 1871.
On this day in 1874 Joshua married Lenora Baugh and the couple moved into the parsonage of the Pine Street Church. At the time, the membership was an exceptional 162, but that was only the beginning. By 1890 the membership had grown to 1,110, and by the time of his retirement, the number had nearly doubled again. Joshua Hutson baptized 2,799 converts, married 1,764 couples and conducted 2,202 funerals.
One day Hutson was asked why the church had kept him so long. He said that it was because on hot days he only preached twenty-minutes. Whether that was always true or not, after his death, The Religious Herald wrote: “He made no attempt at rhetorical display or display of any kind. He was content to take some theme of doctrinal or practical value …. and from it to bring his people useful and valuable lessons of warning, comfort or courage.” That was probably the real reason that his ministry lasted nearly fifty years in one church.