Pastor Rich Bitterman
A Modern Day Fisher of Men
Pastor Rich Bitterman and I arrived on Substack around the same time frame in 2025 and I quickly became impressed with his content and his way of bringing scripture to life!
One day he mentioned where his church was and I realized it was down near a little town I knew well. I messaged him and asked if he knew where this “don’t blink or you’ll pass it” little town was and he did! I then went on to tell him that nearly 60 years ago my parents met there and well, the rest is history and thus began our friendship!
When I told him we would be coming his way and wanted to attend a church service, he welcomed me and my husband anytime. More messages ensued, one of which was me asking if I could interview him during our visit when we were there and he happily agreed.
This post is a result of our conversation and we both hope it blesses you today.
We settled outside in the front yard area of his small country church. Birds were chirping in the nearby trees that afternoon and the fish would occasionally jump down in the lake cove getting our attention. The temperature outside was comfortable, the mountain air fresh and our conversation flowed as we visited.
Our interview began by me asking him this poignant question, “What was it that made you turn your life over to God?”
He took a minute to formulate his response and began to share, “For 15 years, my life revolved around a business I built in Kansas City. By most standards, I was doing what I was supposed to do. I owned something that had provided very well for my family. I stayed busy. Then the housing crisis of 2008 hit, and everything I depended on depended on something far bigger than me. My work rose and fell with a healthy housing market and suddenly that ground felt thin.
One morning stands out. I was sitting at my desk, writing payroll checks, feeling the quiet pressure of responsibility. I remember thinking, almost out loud, there has to be more to life than this. My identity was tied completely to my business, and after fifteen years, it had not delivered what I thought it would. I was barely surviving at this point and I was empty.
Both of my daughters came to faith in Christ through their babysitter a few years before. Watching that stirred something in me. I realized I had opinions about God, but I had never truly sought Him. So I did. Not casually and not to improve my life, but honestly. If God was real, then I wanted to know.
About a year later, the Lord met me in a way I can only describe as unmistakable. It was a unique conversion experience that left no room for doubt. God was real. Christ was King. And I was not in charge of my life anymore.
Roughly a year after that, I began parting out my business. I walked away from what had once defined me and turned my life toward the gospel. I did not find God because my life was falling apart. I found Him because success without Christ had proven hollow. And when the Lord saves a man, He does not just adjust his priorities. He takes the whole thing.”
“That’s right,” I responded back. “God doesn’t want the small areas we’re willing to turn over to him, He wants all of us and our hearts.” And we talk about that a little more before I ask him, “How did you come about writing on Substack?”
Pastor Rich smiles a little and then tells me, “I never set out to build an online platform. I backed into it out of necessity.
I was serving as an associate pastor in Illinois when COVID shut everything down. Overnight, in-person ministry disappeared. No gatherings. So I started experimenting. I played around with social media, did a few “man on the street” interviews for YouTube, all through masks, which still makes me smile. I found that I loved it. Not the novelty, but the conversations. People were hungry to talk about real things.
Later, while serving at a First Baptist Church, I found myself on a mission trip to Vietnam that I did not want to go on. I resisted it. And, as the Lord often does, He used that very thing to correct my vision.
We were in what could only be described as no man’s land, near the border of Vietnam and Laos. We hiked for miles to reach a small village made up of just a handful of huts. In that remote place, we met a Christian woman who owned almost nothing of what we would call modern comforts, but she had a cell phone. She told us she had first heard the gospel through Facebook.
That moment lodged itself deep in me. Here we were, miles from anything familiar, and the gospel had already arrived digitally. Vietnam, it turns out, has better internet coverage than much of rural America, and nearly everyone carries a phone. I realized then that digital ministry is not a compromise. It is a mission field.
I’ve been using social media intentionally for a little under four years now. In just the last six months, my creator Facebook account has reached around 25 million views. What surprises people is that this isn’t lightweight content. It’s long-form, Scripture-heavy writing. Thoughtful and serious.
Substack became a natural home for me because writing is how I think and how I pastor. It allows me to teach, exhort, and shepherd beyond geography. I can’t think of a better way, in this season, to place the gospel directly into people’s hands, wherever they are, and trust the Lord to do what only He can do with it.”
“Isn’t that amazing what God can do, even with technology,” I say incredulously and then follow-up with, “Did your Substack subscriber growth surprise you?” Pastor Rich humbly looks down for a minute then replies, “The growth itself didn’t surprise me. Before ministry, I spent years in business, sales, and marketing, so I understand how momentum works and how to let people know something exists. When I launched on Substack, I also wasn’t starting from zero. I already had a sizable audience on other platforms, including about 80,000 followers on X at the time. Across platforms now, that number is closer to 200,000, so there was already a built-in pathway.
What has surprised me is the churn.
People don’t usually talk about that part publicly, but it’s real. I lose subscribers every day, and if I’m not careful, it’s easy to fixate on who left instead of who stayed. Ministry doesn’t make a man immune to that kind of inward pull.
Over the last year, I’ve changed my content more than once, not to chase growth, but to serve people better. I’ve tried to listen carefully. I’ve shortened things when they needed to be shorter, deepened them when depth was needed, and adjusted the pace when it felt rushed.
What I’m learning is that faithfulness and fruit don’t always move at the same speed. Some people will come for a season and then move on. Others will stay quietly and be shaped slowly. My responsibility is not to keep everyone, but to be clear, steady, and obedient with what I’ve been given to say.”
I agree with him on this and jokingly tell him, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, may His name be praised!” And we both laugh at my remark.
“So where do you get your inspiration from?” I genuinely inquire.
I am drawn to strong preaching and serious thought. I love good preachers, especially men who were unafraid to think deeply and speak plainly. I still listen regularly to Martin Lloyd-Jones. His clarity, gravity, and refusal to entertain trivial faith continue to shape how I think about Scripture and ministry.
I also love books, especially biography. There is something instructive about watching theology walk around in a real human life. I think reading about Dietrich Bonhoeffer is timely, especially in light of where world politics and cultural pressures seem to be heading.
Much of my inspiration comes from that intersection, Scripture faithfully preached, truth lived out under pressure, and the quiet reminder that faithfulness is measured over a lifetime and not a news cycle.”
So after you get your inspiration, “How long does it take you on average to write a post?” I ask him.
“It really depends on the piece,” Pastor Rich says and goes on to elaborate.
“Some days I’ll spend a good portion of the day on a single post, especially when the subject requires careful handling. Recently, for example, I wrote at length on what is permissible for a Christian regarding self-defense. That kind of piece demands slow work, careful Scripture reference, and the discipline to think theologically rather than react emotionally.
I also love descriptive, narrative writing, and that never comes quickly. If I’m trying to help the reader see something, not just understand it, the words have to be placed with care.
On average, a short devotion of a page or less usually takes me about an hour. But a longer piece, something in the six-to-eight-minute range, often takes three to four hours to shape properly. Most of that time isn’t spent writing, but refining, cutting, tightening, and making sure the final piece says exactly what it needs to say and nothing more.”
“Tightening” I reply back, “I like that imagery of our writing process.”
“And where do you usually write, and are you writing or typing your posts out?” I curiously ask.
“Oh, I type everything,” he tells me quickly, “I’ve never been able to write longhand for this kind of work. I sit at a computer and work it out sentence by sentence in a Word document.
I write every morning.
When I was serving at a prior First Baptist Church, I’d be in the office before six a.m., often well before anyone else arrived. Those early hours were quiet and uninterrupted, and I guarded them carefully.
Now that I pastor a small church out in the sticks, things look a little different. The internet connection there isn’t great, so most mornings I stay home. I make coffee, settle into the recliner, and write while the house is still quiet.”
“That sounds delightful,” I tell him, taking it all in and enjoying the beautiful scenery around us as I continue, “How far ahead do you write?”
“Not very far,” he says and then goes on to explain.
“My daily short devotions are usually written about a week in advance. That gives me enough margin to stay steady without losing the sense that I’m writing to real people in real time.
My longer articles are different. They’re often shaped by what’s happening in the news and what I believe Christians need help thinking through faithfully. Because of that, those pieces usually begin fresh each morning. I wake up, read, pray, and then decide what needs to be addressed.”
“I would imagine that helps you stay current and have a pulse on the people,” I tell him and he affirms.
Please tell our readers, “What is your purpose and goal in writing, Rich?”
Without hesitation he confidently states, “To exalt Christ. That’s it. Everything else is secondary.”
“I wholeheartedly agree” I tell him and can’t add to it so I say, “What do you want people to know about you?”
“Not much, really,” he says, shaking his head a little bit.
“I love my family deeply, and I’m grateful for them. They are God’s kindness to me in ways I could never earn.
And I want people to know that whatever good comes from my work does not come from my own strength. I serve Christ under His power, not mine, and I’m keenly aware of the difference. When I forget that, I drift. When I remember it, there is peace.
If people walk away knowing more about Christ than about me, then I’ve done my job.”
“Well, what do you want people to know about God?” I quickly follow-up.
“God is real. God is faithful. And God has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ,” he says purposefully.
“Praise the Lord,” I say and we talk about his faithfulness in each of our lives for a bit before I ask Rich, “What are some of your hobbies?”
He laughs and says, “My wife would tell you I have too many interests, and she’s probably right.”
“Over the years I’ve done a little of everything, from rebuilding a classic car to fishing in a professional walleye tournament. I also have two major remodel projects going...the house Joy and I bought on the lake two years ago and my daughter just bought a fixer upper next to us in the woods.
But at heart, I’m an outdoorsman. That’s where I feel most at ease. I’m happiest on a lake, with a rod in my hand and nowhere to be. I enjoy time at the range, and I love long walks through the woods where things are quiet and unhurried.”
“Well, you have the perfect location for all that here in God’s country,” I tell him, and he agrees enthusiastically.
“Rich, tell us more about your family if you’d like.”
He responds, “Ok, well I’ve been married for thirty-three years to my wife, Joy. That alone tells you a great deal about God’s faithfulness to me.
We have two daughters, both married. They each earned teaching degrees, but in this season of life they’re at home raising their children. We have four grandchildren so far, and they have quietly rearranged the way I think about time, legacy, and what truly lasts.”
“That’s really beautiful, God is so good,” I tell him and then we start talking about our grandchildren and what blessings they are and about not finish this interview!
“Do you have a favorite Bible verse or life verse?” I ask, getting us back on track.
“If I had to name one, it would be Ephesians 2:8–9,” he says.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Grace did the saving, and grace is what keeps me standing.” “Amen to that!” I say.
“Well now, tell us about your childhood,” I say as we continue our delightful conversation.
“My childhood was stable in some ways and chaotic in others,” Rich starts out.
“I had both parents at home, which mattered more than I understood at the time. But we moved constantly. By the time I turned eighteen, we had lived in ten different houses and I had attended five different school districts. That teaches you how to adapt quickly and read people well, but it also makes it hard to ever feel rooted. Community was something temporary, not something you sank into.
I was born in 1970, and I’m grateful for the era I grew up in. I had freedom. I could roam, explore, and learn independence the hard way. And all of it happened before cell phones and social media, which I now see as a quiet mercy. You could disappear for a while back then and come back without explanation.
My teenage years weren’t clean. I rebelled. I drank heavily and spent some time on probation. I wasn’t headed in a good direction, and I knew it, even if I wouldn’t have admitted it out loud.
That season began to change after I met Joy. God used her to steady me long before I knew Him. Looking back now, I can see the Lord’s restraint and patience even in those years. He was present long before I was paying attention.”
“Isn’t that true, “ I affirm to my friend, “and aren’t we glad!”
“One last easy question I promise,” I say holding up my index finger, “you ready?” I ask in a playful tone.
Pastor Rich graciously says, “Sure!”
“What’s your favorite color?”
He thinks for a quick minute and tells us,
“Chartreuse because it catches a lot of fish here!”
The sun was setting by the time our visit and interview ended, but our friendship is just getting started.
I am so grateful to Rich and Joy (who indeed personifies her name in case you’re wondering!) for inviting me and my husband to sit and visit with them, to show us around and to see where God has taken them and their family now as they continue to serve Jesus.
And, thank you for joining us here as well.
Until next time, sweet friends,
Brooke
If we haven’t had the opportunity to meet yet, Hi, I’m Brooke Zoller from The Pondering Scottie! I’d love for you to join me for more encouraging and uplifting posts and notes centered around the topics of Jesus, family, travel, books, homeschooling and nature, with some surprises thrown in along the way like this one!
If you’d like to subscribe and read more from Pastor Rich Bitterman, you can here.
Thank you Brooke! Wonderful job.
What a great interview-I already really enjoyed both of your pages but your interview really opened up who this wonderful pastor is that prays for his follower and writes so beautifully. Thanks-great read!