Daniel Lambert was the lone pastor and the only person on the church staff when he arrived at Easthaven Baptist Church 25 years ago, feeling “a little green and wet behind the ears.”

He was just 26 at the time and he was stepping into a big job as senior pastor. It was a transitional time for the congregation of some 85 to 90 people. Several pastors had come and gone. For some it wasn’t the right fit; others from southern climes didn’t acclimate well to Flathead winters.

But for Lambert, the job stuck. He blossomed as a young pastor and the church began growing.

A quarter-century later, Lambert pauses to count the number of pastors on staff: “We have six full-time pastors and three or four part-time pastors, two to three full-time ministry directors…” Instead of one worship service there are now four, with a combined weekly attendance of 850.

In 2005 the church moved into an expansive new facility on Whitefish Stage Road to accommodate the growing congregation.

None of this was Lambert’s doing, he insists.

“I got to be here when God grew the church,” he said. “I am humbled and grateful and it is a privilege to serve the Lord in a place where he is actively growing the church.”

Lambert, now 51, said his approach to ministry is quite simple: “Love your God and love your neighbors.”

One of the things that excites Lambert most about his work at Easthaven Baptist, a Southern Baptist Convention church, is seeing others “come into faith with Jesus and then step into a role in ministry where they can thrive.

“My vision for the church is to deeply impact the spiritual climate of the Flathead Valley … guiding people along the journey to follow Jesus.”

Lambert said philosophically he is “not a fan” of today’s mega churches.

“I’m a very devout people person and it’s hard for me not to know everyone” in the congregation, he said.

Rather than growing into a giant church, Easthaven has taken the approach of starting satellite congregations. Summit Life Church in Whitefish was the first of these ventures last year. Plans are in the works to launch a second satellite congregation in Columbia Falls.

At a time when some mainstream denominations are struggling to attract church-goers, Lambert said it’s more important that ever to adhere to biblical truth.

“I think the reason some churches are struggling is that for the sake of the preferred culture they’ve compromised the truth of God’s word,” he commented.

While Lambert grew up in a Christian home, becoming a pastor wasn’t something he’d ever contemplated. He wanted to be a dentist and had even started searching out colleges with that career in mind. Then something profound and life-changing happened on the last night of a winter ski trip to Colorado. It was spring break of his junior year in high school; he was 16 and part of a youth group from his Houston-area church that had been having a great time on the ski slopes.

The youth pastor handed out candles that evening as the teens gathered together. Lambert recalls the pastor asking them individually to come forward if they felt called to follow Jesus. Many of them made the commitment, but the pastor persisted, telling them “there’s one more person who needs to come forward and make a decision tonight. I want everyone in the room to pray.”

Lambert said he sat there, finally praying that whoever it was that was supposed to step forward should do it pretty soon. The candles were burning low.

“As soon as I prayed that prayer I realized it was me,” he said. “So I asked Russ (the youth pastor), ‘are you waiting for me? Does God want me to be a pastor?’”

Russ then confided that he and Lambert’s parents, who were chaperones on the trip, had been praying for him.

“I’m stubborn. I have a bull-headed personality, and I said ‘oh, huh, OK,” Lambert recalled.

He decided then and there to alter his life’s path.

“There’s never been a moment since then that I have doubted this is what God wanted me to do,” he said. “Since I was 16 I’ve been on this track.”

Lambert dutifully got an undergraduate degree in speech and communications, anticipating the sermons he’d deliver one day. He graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in May 1991, and in December that year was called to Easthaven Baptist Church.

“It’s been my only church,” he said with a smile. “I tell everyone I have a one-line resume.”

Lambert and his wife Vicki spent two summers doing youth ministry work at church camps up and down the West Coast, so they had their sights set on this region for a place to call home.

That Northwest Montana would offer such ample hunting and recreational opportunities was a big bonus for Lambert, whose church office sports several impressive mounts.

The Lamberts have raised two children during their years in Kalispell; Daniel William, 19, who is in the U.S. Marine Corps, and Adrianna, 17, a senior at Stillwater Christian School. Vicki teaches part-time at Stillwater Christian and also leads the music ministry at Easthaven.

Lambert fills out his busy schedule as the lead pastor by taking an active role in the Kalispell Ministerial Association. He meets with groups of pastors three times a week to pray and have fellowship.

For the past decade he’s been a volunteer chaplain for the Kalispell fire and police departments.

“I’m very committed to unity in the body of Christ and the church as a whole,” he said.

He got his Doctor of Ministry degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in 2003. Once again, getting his doctorate wasn’t something he’d ever contemplated, but through a God-driven set of circumstances, he and a fellow pastor pursued their degrees through Golden Gate’s Canadian track. They commuted to Calgary over four years.

The congregation recently honored Lambert for his 25 years of service. The church women made a quilt for Vicki, and the congregation presented the couple with the gifts — a European river cruise and a new pickup.

“I’m still overwhelmed,” Lambert said with deep gratitude. “It’s a big ‘wow!’”

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.