A Troubling Trend

About six times a year, I receive SBC Life, a slick, colorful publication from the SBC Executive Committee.  Honestly, I usually pay little attention to it, but an ad in the most recent publication caught my eye.  The ad, a full-page ad, featured a picture of Dr. Paige Patterson, President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the caption read:  "Nowhere else in the world.  Only at Southwestern can you study with:  Dr. Paige Patterson."  The ad continues by listing many of Dr. Patterson's accomplishments.

I do not know Dr. Patterson personally.  I have heard from many who do that he is very personable and likable.  I do not question his ability as an administrator.  But I am really bothered by such an ad.

One of the problems I have with this ad is that it exemplifies what I see as a growing trend in the SBC and in the evangelical world in general.  We place too much emphasis on persons and personalities.  Too many of our churches are built around the person and personality of the pastor.  Too much of what I have experienced in SBC life, as of late, is person and personality driven.

Over thirty years ago I made a decision to attend seminary.  I can remember as a senior at Gardner-Webb College struggling with the decision as to where to attend.  I chose New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and have never regretted my choice.  But my decision was not based on who the president of the school was.  As a matter of fact, I had no idea who the president of the seminary was until after I became a student there.  My decision was based on the reputation of the school in general.

Seminary presidents come and go, so do pastors.  What happens to a church or an institution when it is built around a person, and for whatever reason that person leaves?   I think the answer is obvious.  I wish things were different, but I'm not very optimistic that things are going to change anytime soon.

Blessings,
Jimmy

Spiritual Leadership

The theme for the 2010 Deacons’ Retreat was leadership.  A last minute scheduling conflict with the retreat leader forced us to rely on a series of videos by a well-know authority on leadership.  It may have simply been my problem, but it was a real struggle for me to identify with what the expert was saying.  What he said made perfect sense from a purely secular view.  But I was really having trouble connecting the dots between leadership in general and spiritual leadership.  The video presentation was filled with ideas, stories, and illustrations, but most were taken from the business world.  It was as if he were saying--at least this is the way I perceived it--that spiritual leaders need to take their direction from the corporate world.   Questions  kept coming to my mind:  “If the Church is the Bride of Christ, called out by God, empowered by His Holy Spirit, and directed by His Word, why do we need to go to the corporate world for a model of leadership?  Is spiritual leadership not addressed in Holy Scripture?” 

For several weeks I wrestled with these questions, until one day a Google search of spiritual leadership led me to a book by Henry and Richard Blackaby.  The title of the book is, Spiritual Leadership:  Moving People on to God’s Agenda.  I am indebted to the Blaclabys for reminding me of an Old Testament character who is the epitome of a spiritual leader.  His name is Joshua, which means savior or deliverer, and his story is found in the book which bears his name.  From the life of this Old Testament hero of faith, I have developed the following series. 

1.   The Call of a Spiritual Leader--Joshua 1:1-9

        Spiritual leaders are called by God.  Leaders in general can be trained and developed.  But a leader, no matter how well developed or trained, will never transition to spiritual leadership minus a calling from God.

2.   The Task of a Spiritual Leader--Joshua 1:10-19

        Read anything written about leadership, and you will read a lot about vision.  Leaders cast vision!  One of the distinctions between a spiritual leader and a leader in general is, a spiritual leader moves people on to God’s agenda. 

3.   The Validation of a Spiritual Leader--Joshua 3

        Leaders are normally identified by their accomplishments.  Spiritual leadership is validated when extraordinary accomplishments are made which bring glory to God.

4.   The Style of a Spiritual Leader--Joshua 6

        The leadership image which comes to mind for many is the “star quarterback" who calls the play and throws the winning touchdown.  The success of the team rises and falls with his abilities.  A better image for a spiritual leader may be the violinist who follows the direction of the conductor, knowing when the score calls for a rest, allowing other members of the orchestra to play their part and to be             heard.

5.   Failure and the Spiritual Leader--Joshua 7

        A wise person once said that the only people who never experience failure are those who never seek to accomplish anything.  Spiritual leaders are not exempt from failure.  The distinction is the way a spiritual leader responds in the wake of  failure.

6.   The Reward of the Spiritual Leader--Joshua 24:29-3

       Leadership has its rewards.  Recently a popular collegiate coach was awarded a $4 million a year 

contract.  The rewards of a spiritual leader are far-reaching, not only bringing blessings to the leader 

himself, but for generations to come.

I plan to further develop this series and to preach from it during the Fall of 2010.