Eddie Taylor: Are You Faithful, Available And Teachable?

In this episode, I talk with Eddie Taylor, co-founder of Taylor Ministry Group, about his and his wife, Beth, and their ministry that is a vision to help every leader live from a healthy core and to do that by reaching, reproducing and resourcing healthy leaders though mentoring and discipleship.

Eddie and Beth have been married for over 33 years and have three sons. Eddie has been a lead pastor, writer, conference speaker and sits on several ministry boards as an advisor and counselor. Eddie was born and raised in Waycross, Georgia.

Early in their marriage, Eddie and Beth were prophesied over that their marriage would one day be their ministry and today they are fulfilling that calling with The Taylor Ministry Group that believes it takes healthy spiritual leadership to promote church revitalization and evangelism for around the world.

Eddie talks about how his brother Kevin led him to the Lord and how he went to a revival service and was saved on November 2nd, 1986 and then on December 31st was filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit at a youth event when he heard a message given out from the Holy Spirit to receive the Holy Spirit and a calling into the ministry.

He tells about Ray Owens, that mentored him and many others, and how he impacted his life even to this day that they still talk. He didn't just give him encouragement, but also at times that they would go for a ride and he would rebuke, or correct, Eddie in love over a comment or action that he had said or done. This was a father's love of correction and not out of hate and spite.

Eddie also talked about how we should have 3 significant people in our lives and relationships. There are those who are a Barnabas, Silas, or a Timothy. They  may be someone that is in your life for a short time that pours into your life or vice versa. Then, there are those that are in your life for a long period of time as either a mentor or disciple.

Eddie planted and started a church in in 2000 till they stepped down in 2018 to start their next season in ministry.

Eddie shared that he has an acronym for mentoring and discipleship. This may be a lifelong or for a season for building and developing a protégé. It is call F. A. T.

F- Faithful ( in that those you are mentoring should be faithful not just to you but in their walk with Christ.)
A- Available ( are they willing to make time for you to pour into their lives and not as a servant to meet your needing.)
T-Teachable ( are they willing to be taught. You can't teach an expert. Looking for those that are hungry to grow in their spiritual walk.)

Eddie shares that when you are mentoring you should always be closing  and always looking for the next Timothy. He shared a quote from Mike Breem, which says, "If you attempt to build a church you will rarely make disciples; but if you attempt to make disciples, you will have a church."

Eddie shares what him and Beth do it to teach what you know, but you reproduce everywhere else and who you are. You impress from a distance but impact up close.

He talked about how pastors and leaders should look at attendance or budgets to gauge the health of a church or ministry, and that size and health of a church are two different ideas of ministry.

What discipleship and accountability relationships do is help us see around us at 360 degrees to keep us from being deceived.

We finally talked briefly about Eddie's new book that he has written and hope to be out later this year about Samson called " The Rise and Fall of Samson".  In it he talks about even with all that Samson did in his life to rebel, he was still called of God and was later mentioned in the Hall of Faith in  Hebrews chapter 11.

Social media links:
https://www.taylorministry.com/
https://www.instagram.com/taylor_ministry_group/
https://twitter.com/taylorgroup3