This Sunday we begin a series entitled, “Letters to young leaders; a study of 1st and 2nd Timothy”. As you read through these two short epistles you get a sense that they are written with a sense of urgency. We believe that Paul, the writer of the letters, is coming to the end of his life and he wants to pass on some of his wisdom to his young pastor friend Timothy.
But this urgency was caused not just because Paul wanted to record his last bit of insight for a young leader. No, this urgency comes from a concern for the health of the church. The church in Paul’s day urgently needed quality leaders. He had seen so many abandon the faith for the sake of money (1 Timothy 6:10), others had been led astray by myths (2 Timothy 4:4), while others had fallen in love with the world (2 Timothy 4:9) and still others had made a shipwreck of their faith by abandoning the truth (1 Timothy 1:19,20). Paul didn’t want any of that to happen to Timothy. So he writes him a series of letters to encourage and help him avoid the pitfalls of Christian leadership.
The church in our day also needs quality leaders. SCBC needs quality leaders. Never has there been a time in the life of the church when we have known so much, had so many resources, been able to access so much technology but have been so weak in leadership. Seminary enrolment is down, missionary involvement is low and all church ministries beg, cajole and plead with people to be involved. George Barna, a prominent Christian researcher, sums it all up in his book entitled Leaders on Leadership when he writes,
“After fifteen years of diligent digging into the world around me, I have reached several conclusions about the future of the Christian church in America. The central conclusion is that the American church is dying due to a lack of strong leadership. In this time of unprecedented opportunity and plentiful resources, the church is actually losing influence. The primary reason is the lack of leadership. Nothing is more important than leadership.”1
Some of you may say that’s overstated. “Surely leadership isn’t the most important thing in the church?” you may ask.
So let me say it clearly, we believe in the power of God’s word to transform lives, in depending on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to work in us, the power of prayer, the importance of giving at least a tenth of our finances to God, and salvation by grace alone through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. We believe all that and more. But the truth is, if we don’t have leaders who are willing to articulate and model these truths fewer and fewer people will be willing to embrace them as their own.
This week, will you begin to consider God’s call to take up leadership in the church? Read 1 Timothy 1:1-11 in preparation for this Sunday’s worship and ask God to anchor you in his truth. Pray that God will raise up leaders in our church and ask him to begin with you.
In thanksgiving for you, Pastor Tom.
1. George Barna, Leaders on Leadership (California, U.S.A: Regal Books, 1997) 18.