Leading With the Word of God

Leading with the word of God is one of the positive things the Keystone participants are learning to do. Due to my seminary studies, I've had to read a lot of books on leadership and organizational development over the past few years. I can't remember a single book that addressed this. It seems that much of Christian leadership development attempts to sanctify conventional management and leadership theory, but doesn't equip church leaders to use the Scriptures in making decisions, determining values and priorities, reaching out to the community or managing conflict. We often trust in organizational theory to help our churches grow rather than cultivating leadership teams that walk in the Spirit and 'correctly handle the word of truth.' This isn't just about biblical preaching, but learning to live individually and as the people of God with the Bible as the primary resource to guide our spiritual and organizational formation.

When planning our programs, are we consulting the word of God? Do our values reflect the biblical mandate to make disciples of all nations? Are we really living according to our values? I've written further about this in the articles that were published in the Missionary Church Today ('The Secular Church') and on the Missionary Church website ('Inerrancy and the Authority of the Scripture'). Both articles can be found in the archives of this blog.

As long as we trust in management or church growth theory for healthy churches we will become increasingly irrelevant from the world we have been called to reach and increasingly disconnected from the God we have been called to serve.

'Send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.' (Psalm 43:3-4)

PS - Keystone is surrounded by beautiful wildlife such as these wild mountain goats.