Leadership Training Breakfast #4; by John Menchaca
"An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless–not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined." Titus 1:6-8
We met as a group on Tuesday morning, July 29th, for the fourth and final installment of our leadership training for deacons and elders at All Saints. Our focus over the past month has been 1 Timothy and Titus and the Biblical instruction on church leadership. We finished our study and instruction with great breakfast tacos, great discussion and left with a better understanding of "God-centered" leadership and the challenges of ministering to others in this fallen world.
To open, we read aloud the entire book of Titus, a portion of which is
quoted above. It served to lay the groundwork for our discussion as we
revisited themes and questions from our past 3 classes. We discussed
our current culture and secular worldview and acknowledged that leaders
are called to lead, disciple and counsel in a culture that is
oftentimes characterized by self-centeredness (as opposed to
God-centeredness), prideful and selfish behavior, and greed. We must
engage the culture, but leaders must remember that they are
particularly susceptible to getting entangled in culture’s decadence
and brokenness. There are many reasons for church leaders to remain
"self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined" as the Apostle Paul
instructs Titus.
Pastor Bill Boyd explained to us that there are 4 "groups" of
individuals that are shepherded by leaders: Believers and
Non-Believers, both inside and outside the Church. And, within the
Church, there are large groups, small groups, and one-on-one
relationships. To lead these various groups, leaders must be active,
in motion and always aware of these group dynamics. Our Church is built on some key presuppositions that are needed to build a strong
foundation for our Church, namely God’s Word, the belief in a Triune
God, and an understanding that God is at work and active (i.e., that He
is creating/recreating). Lastly, all of this is a part of God’s People
(we are formed in His image) in a world created by an awesome,
sovereign God. Church leaders MUST buy into these suppositions and
agree on all that is True. Leadership is, thus, God-centered and about
what God is doing in us.
We closed our last class with a recap on God’s sovereignty, which was a
theme discussed throughout our 4 classes. We also revisited our
discussion on the sacraments of Communion and Baptism, and, as usual,
worked in a discussion on college football, which is fast approaching.
Together we sang Holy, Holy, Holy to wrap up the final installment of our All
Saints leadership training.
Great picture.