When it's time to change...

Peter Brady sang it best on the Brady Bunch... "When it's time to change, you have to rearrange, who you are into what you want to be." Although the occasion of my song is not the same as his (my voice hasn't cracked like that since tenth grade), the point is well taken.

Kari and I announced to the Elders of our church several weeks ago that this coming Sunday would be the last Sunday at our church. We've taken a position in Plano, TX at Fellowship Bible Church North. I'll be working under the Adult Ministries Pastor in the areas of small groups and leadership development.

Although leaving a ministry is never easy, Kari and I are extremely excited about this opportunity. My long-term vision for ministry is to be involved in the training of non-staff church leadership, to help them lead the church more effectively. We often recognize men as Elders or Deacons in our church because of their skill in the secular workplace. We assume men who have effectively led banks or other businesses will be apt leaders within the church. In many ways, we're right. The organizational skills, communication skills, and visionary skills that are needed to effectively run a business can be put to good use within the leadership of the church. However, the church is a Body, not a business. It's a fellowship, not a firm. And there are distinct differences between leading a church and leading in a corporation.

Fellowship Bible Church North sponsors the Center for Church Based Training, which exists in part for this purpose. Their philosophies can be found in a book called "The Leadership Baton," which is co-written by three representatives of this organization.

I'll write more about the book, and about Fellowship Bible Church North in the future. Meanwhile, I have an office full of books that aren't going to pack themselves.