Letters of Recommendation
This letter comes as a personal recommendation for Rev. Don Blanton. Don has served on staff with me as Student Ministries /Family Life Pastor and Church Media Ministries Director. He has done well to assist me in the transitioning of a very conservative / traditional church, having experienced no significant growth in decades, helping to position it in its thinking and vision for change that can bring needed growth through cultural relevance and community impact.
Having been raised in a pastor’s home is an asset Don has that any church would value greatly. Don is a leader, a visionary, a team player, an excellent communicator and self-starter. Second only to his passion for his own family, is his passion for the church family to realize the dynamic of life, ministry, fellowship and growth that is truly characteristic of Christ’s Kingdom. His patience and stability under pressure is commendable. He is a man who is earnest about doing the will of God and following the leading of the Holy Spirit. He is committed to the task of the ministry because he is sure of his call.
I recommend him without reservation to any church leadership position he believes to be the open door of God’s choosing. I recommend him to any congregation who is willing to follow leadership through the open door of Spirit-directed leadership that is necessary to give future generations the opportunity to encounter Christ through the communication of the Gospel in the ways they will hear and understand. I recommend him to you if you are desiring a creative move of God that can help to take your church to the next level for Christ.
Sincerely,
Rev. Terry Kirschman (deceased)
Lead Pastor
Bethel Temple Assembly of God
This letter comes as a personal recommendation for Pastor Don Blanton. I have known Don for close to forty years on several different levels; as a mentor through his teen years, as a personal friend, as a co-worker in the secular workplace and as a pastor to my family.
I first met Don when his dad became the senior pastor of the church I was attending in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Adjusting to a new location and a new life (it was his dad’s first pastorate) was difficult for a teenager. I like to believe some of the time we spent together made some useful lasting impression upon him. When his family moved onto his dad’s next pastorate my wife and I “adopted” Don; he lived with us for a time while he “figured out what he was going to do with his life”, which turned out to be attending North Central University and training to be a youth pastor.
As a friend, I find Don to be a man of his word. He values people to the highest degree and will do what ever is necessary to help them succeed. However, he places his family above all other demands; he has learned the fine balance between meeting family needs and the demanding schedule of ministry. I also see Don as a person of passion and determination. He does not like to settle for second best and will not if it is within his control to prevent it from occurring. He is a constant learner and understands that in order to continue to raise others to their highest potential, he has to continue to raise his own.
I have also had the opportunity to see Don work outside of the church environment. For a short time he was employed by our company while he was transitioning back into ministry. He was considered a reliable and hard working employee. When a structural change was made in our operations, Don was assign to a strategic team dealing with customer problems because of his ability to handle pressure situations in a timely manner and reestablishing customer confidence.
What I am most grateful for however is his love for, and friendship with my four sons. When we had a change at the church we were attending in Cleveland and I had the opportunity to take my oldest son (who at that time was just entering his teenage years) to any youth group in northeast Ohio. I chose the one where Don was ministering because I knew I could entrust him with my son’s spiritual growth during that VERY important time in his life. When the church we are now attending in Canton, Ohio needed a youth pastor I was the one who suggested our senior pastor consider Don for the open position, which he quickly filled. He has had an impact in each of their lives as a friend, pastor and mentor. He has challenged each of them to live their lives for Christ above all else. He has been a confident ear when they needed someone to talk to, patient and encouraging as they worked through issues, and a constant cheer leader in their spiritual and personal achievements.
Don is my friend, pastor and encourager. His heart for helping people discover their true life in Christ is contagious. I believe Don will leave his mark on any community to which God takes him, just as he has on the life of my family.
Patrick T. Fortunato
CFO Campbells Sweet Factory
Cleveland, OH
When I look back on my teenage years, I have many fond memories due in large part to Don Blanton and The Second Chance Club youth group.
I’ll never forget the first time I met Don Blanton.... Don was different. He was all about authentic faith and relationships. His passion was apparent in everything he did. When Don did something, he did it big!
Week after week, my friends and I were challenged to make our faith real, to make it our own and to truly know why we believed what we said we believed.
Don’s youth group was a place that was always fun and safe to bring unbelieving friends. He worked hard to create a cool environment, conducive to worship and teaching but also crazy games often involving jell-o and eggs. Don poured endless amounts of energy into mission trips, retreats and conferences, summer camps and outreach events to make them great for us.
Don invited me into leadership. This made me feel special, a part of the team, and gave me a great sense of ownership and pride in our ministry. I was given responsibility and the opportunity to learn technical skills that ultimately laid the foundation for my career today.
Don Blanton has had a major impact on my life. He taught me how to do ministry with an attitude of excellence. He inspired my creativity. He taught me to dream big and to never give up. But above all, he helped me to understand the character of Jesus Christ and how to live out my faith.
I felt a special connection with Don back then, and still consider him my good friend today. I am forever grateful for his influence on my life.
Sincerely:
Jeff Chamlee
Former Student
It gives me great pleasure to be able to recommend Don Blanton. I met Don around 1993 at the annual “See You At the Pole” event at the school where I worked. I was impressed with his transparency, and the rapport he had with the students who met to pray before school started. In 1994, I found myself at his church as one of his assistant youth leaders until shortly before I was married in 2000.
During that time, I watched his ministry flourish. Don is a great leader who knows how to build and train his staff. My wife and I are still using the things I learned from Don in our own ministry. He also stays very current on what is important to seekers today and knows how to reach the un-churched people in the surrounding community.
Don's message is very clear. He knows how to explain Christianity to people simply so they can understand how a relationship with Jesus Christ will guide them and relate to every area of their personal lives. He develops his leaders to be able to do the same. Having come from a background in production, he knows how to use available resources to create an environment to give maximum impact to his messages without the special effects distracting from his message.
Whenever the typical personality conflicts occurred, I watched Don use wisdom to allow himself and the other(s) involved to quickly move on in a way that both grew stronger from the experience.
Without reservation, I recommend Don for positions of ministry and leadership because of his simple and practical message, the fact that he is real and transparent, and his ability to develop leaders under him, equipping “the saints” for “the work of the ministry.” His rapport with his congregations and abilities to develop team leaders make him an ideal candidate for ministry leadership.
Sincerely,
David T. Koch
Former Volunteer Worker
It is an honor to recommend my former pastor and mentor, Pastor Don Blanton, for this pastoral position. I have known him for over 20 years, two of which he was my teacher in the North Coast Master’s Commission program located at the First Assembly of God church in Lyndhurst, Ohio; where he was also the associate pastor.
As an associate pastor who managed the youth ministries, the church's growing technical ministries and the Master’s Commission program, he displayed both excellent leadership and organizational abilities. He set many goals and high standards for every aspect of the ministries that he was involved in. In addition to this, he was in charge of organizing the Assembly of God Pastor’s Kids retreat for several years.
Pastor Don is talented in many other aspects that may be beneficial to your fellowship. He has a great deal of experience with sound and lighting technology. He is ambitious to try new things in order to better minister to a congregation. Pastor Don brings the Word alive in his preaching as well as his teaching. He has a knack for holding meaningful and spiritual retreats and conferences.
Pastor Don is truly a one of a kind man who has a heart for the Lord. He would be a sincere benefit to any church. I wholeheartedly recommend Pastor Don for this Position.
Sincerely,
John Shilling
Former Student