Conversations
January 1, 1997
Don't train leaders?
Last issue's most controversial article is turning out to be "Why I Don't Train Leaders in Malinta, Ohio," by David Coffin. Some people sent letters saying the article "lifted my spirit more than anything I've read lately." Others asked, "Why was this in a journal called Leadership?"
For those who thought we lost our minds or editorial judgment, we thought the article raises an important question: What is the shepherd's role in an era emphasizing pastor-as-leader?
Unconditional surrender
In a recent letter, Matt Woodley, pastor of Cambridge (Minnesota) United Methodist Church, passed on this quote from seventeeenth-century spiritual writer Francois Fenelon:
"When it comes to accomplishing things for God, you will find that high aspirations, enthusiastic feelings, careful planning, and being able to express yourself well are not worth very much. The important thing is absolute surrender to God. You can do anything he wants you to do if you are walking in the light of full surrender."
Campaigning against church
Rich Hansen, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Visalia, California, noted this during the fall elections:
"Sometimes politicians position themselves as Washington outsiders to run against their own political culture. New churches sometimes do the same thing: they run against the 'boring, frumpy, out-of-touch, institutional' church. Two start-up churches in my area have mass-mailed brochures, implying, 'Why go to a "loser" church when you can come to us?'
"Gaining by painting traditional churches in such a demeaning (and untrue) light is like a snake eating its tail. It's not win-lose, but lose-lose. The long-term negative consequences of 'running against' established churches will catch up ...
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