Gil never boasted of numbers, or anything else for that matter, but Chris’s mother had told him that, while he was pastor, Third Baptist had twice as many members as First. They weren’t big numbers compared to a city church—only 125 or so. But Gil’s leadership of a church that size in a town as small as Lewisville, not to mention his lengthy tenure as pastor, had solidified his reputation in town as a sort of sage. The whole county esteemed him. At one point, Chris found out, he was urged to run for mayor, but he declined, saying his business was with God’s people.
