by Rachel Daniel
DAVIS—In his work, The Book on Leadership, pastor and noted author John MacArthur writes, “If we are to be faithful to the New Testament, we must acknowledge that the Lord has established leaders in His church—pastors and elders. They are the examples of spiritual leadership for all the people, and if they are not exemplary leaders, something is seriously wrong.”
Leadership is clearly an important issue for the church. It is also an area of emphasis for Oklahoma Baptists. Pastors attending Falls Creek this summer will have an opportunity to come together and discuss the qualities of being an effective leader.
Brett Selby, pastoral leadership specialist at the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, will be hosting a weekly Pastoral Leadership Dialogue for all pastors who accompany their students to Falls Creek.
Selby said these dialogues developed from the insight of a student pastor at the meeting of the Mission Advance Team last year.
“The idea for hosting a Pastoral Leadership Dialogue during each week of Falls Creek came from the Mission Advance Team that met in 2010,” he said. “One of the team members, a student pastor, noted that most pastors come to Falls Creek and are present during most of the week but with limited specific responsibilities. ‘Why not,’ he asked, ‘take advantage of that time to do some leadership training with our pastors?’”
This insight led to the development of the Pastoral Leadership Dialogue, a roundtable-like atmosphere where pastors can grab a cup of coffee together and talk about leadership. Selby observed that pastors have much to learn from one another in the area of leadership, and can greatly benefit from sharing wisdom with fellow pastors.
“It’s a brilliant idea, but one of which I had never thought. It illustrates the axiom of the collective I.Q. of the team, which states that ‘none of us is as smart as all of us,” Selby said.
The content of the dialogues will be constructed around the Habitudes leadership materials, which is a collection of images that form leadership habits and attitudes. However, the main goal of the dialogues is just that: discussion among pastors about the essentials of leadership.
“Our cooperation as Oklahoma Baptists is not limited to financial gifts, but mental capital as well. We share ideas and concepts to enrich our overall ministry. Hopefully, this will take place in our dialogues as well, and pastors will learn about leadership from each other,” said Selby.
The Pastoral Leadership Dialogues will be held on Tuesdays from 11:30 a.m. –12:15 p.m. at the West End Café at Falls Creek. Pastors are invited to come grab a free cup of coffee and dialogue with other pastors about the qualities of effective leadership.
Rachel Daniel is pastoral leadership assistant with the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.
