Fathers and Sons: Desiring God's Pastors Conference

Tom Ascol

I am looking forward to getting on an airplane in a few hours with my son, Joel, for a trip to Minneapolis for Desiring God’s annual Pastors Conference. This year the theme is “The Pastor as Father and Son.” Sons of pastors are encouraged to join their dads for the conference and Joel was able to work it out with his professors to miss a couple of days of class to take this trip with me.

The DG conferences are always excellent and I am delighted that my son will be joining me for this one. Not only is he missing some classes, he is also missing a basketball game with his homeschool team in order to go with me.

It is not supposed to get above freezing while we are there, so our Florida-thinned blood will undoubtedly be in for a shock. But the opportunity to share with my son in receiving the ministry of God’s Word by men like John Piper and D. A. Carson will be worth it.

In honor of the theme of the conference here is a great quote by Thomas Fuller, chaplain to Oliver Cromwell, that hangs in my study and has often given me hope for my son:

A Father’s Hope and Warning

Lord, I find the genealogy of my Savior strangely checkered with four remarkable changes in four immediate generations. (1) Rehoboam begat Abijah; that is, a bad father begat a bad son. (2) Abijah begat Asa; that is, a bad father begat a good son. (3) Asa begat Jehoshaphat; that is, a good father a good son. (4) Jehoshaphat begat Joram; that is, a good father a bad son. I see, Lord, from hence that my father’s piety cannot be entailed; that is bad news for me. But I see also that actual impiety is not always hereditary; that is good news for my son.

Tom Ascol has served as a Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, FL since 1986. Prior to moving to Florida he served as pastor and associate pastor of churches in Texas. He has a BS degree in sociology from Texas A&M University (1979) and has also earned the MDiv and PhD degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas. He has served as an adjunct professor of theology for various colleges and seminaries, including Reformed Theological Seminary, the Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, African Christian University, Copperbelt Ministerial College, and Reformed Baptist Seminary. He has also served as Visiting Professor at the Nicole Institute for Baptist Studies at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. Tom serves as the President of Founders Ministries and The Institute of Public Theology. He has edited the Founders Journal, a quarterly theological publication of Founders Ministries, and has written hundreds of articles for various journals and magazines. He has been a regular contributor to TableTalk, the monthly magazine of Ligonier Ministries. He has also edited and contributed to several books, including Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry, The Truth and Grace Memory Books for children and Recovering the Gospel and Reformation of Churches. He is also the author of From the Protestant Reformation to the Southern Baptist Convention, Traditional Theology and the SBC and Strong and Courageous. Tom regularly preaches and lectures at various conferences throughout the United States and other countries. In addition he regularly contributes articles to the Founders website and hosts a weekly podcast called The Sword & The Trowel. He and his wife Donna have six children along with four sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law. They have sixteen grandchildren.

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